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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: branch · rash · stock · field · wake · bound · tube · fine

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. bound — certain
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. rash — a series
  6. stock — goods
  7. field — a subject
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. bound — obliged
  10. fine — all right
  11. tube — the underground
  12. fine — high quality
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. branch — a division
  15. tube — a container
  16. rash — hasty
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bound — tied together
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — for sport
  22. stock — shares
  23. wake — a trail
  24. rash — on the skin

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