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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: track · stock · last · branch · face · wound · patient · ruler

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. track — to keep track
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. face — to point toward
  6. track — a path
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. track — a song
  9. last — final
  10. face — to confront
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. wound — an injury
  14. branch — a division
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. face — part of the head
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. last — finally
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — shares
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. last — to go on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com