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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: nail · board · saw · branch · fall · stock · pitcher · staff

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — employees
  7. saw — the tool
  8. fall — the season
  9. branch — a division
  10. stock — shares
  11. board — a committee
  12. board — to get on
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. fall — to drop
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — goods
  18. fall — to drop
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. saw — the tool
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. staff — a stick
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. pitcher — a jug

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