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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: squash · branch · plane · bass · race · stock · can · cell

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. can — a tin
  3. cell — in biology
  4. squash — the sport
  5. race — humankind
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. stock — goods
  10. race — a contest
  11. bass — low music
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bass — the fish
  14. can — a tin
  15. plane — a tool
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. race — the arms race
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. cell — a phone
  20. branch — a division
  21. can — to be able to
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. squash — to crush
  24. stock — shares

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