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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: ground · season · stock · file · pop · can · branch · last

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. can — a tin
  3. stock — shares
  4. file — a tool
  5. pop — to visit
  6. season — in sport
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. last — to go on
  9. branch — a division
  10. last — final
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. ground — the earth
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. ground — a position
  15. stock — goods
  16. pop — soda
  17. file — a line of people
  18. last — finally
  19. can — a tin
  20. pop — music
  21. season — of the year
  22. can — to be able to
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. ground — crushed

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