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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bark · coach · branch · fan · wax · stock · pop · file

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. stock — goods
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. pop — to visit
  8. file — a document
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — shares
  12. branch — a division
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. pop — soda
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bark — to shout
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. wax — to grow
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. file — a line of people
  24. pop — music

Multiple-meaning words list

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

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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