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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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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: pitcher · stock · cell · fork · mug · can · branch · bound

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. mug — a face
  3. bound — tied together
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. can — a tin
  6. stock — goods
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. mug — to rob
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. can — a tin
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. fork — in a road
  15. cell — in biology
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. stock — shares
  18. bound — obliged
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. bound — certain
  21. cell — a phone
  22. branch — a division
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. mug — a cup

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