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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 120 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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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: cold · pop · mark · stick · stock · branch · fan · fine

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. mark — a trace
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. pop — soda
  5. mark — a grade
  6. fine — high quality
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — goods
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. pop — to visit
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. cold — an illness
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. cold — not warm
  21. fine — all right
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pop — music
  24. branch — of a tree

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