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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: lean · stock · tube · staff · rush · branch · content · cold

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. branch — a division
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. stock — shares
  9. staff — a stick
  10. content — the amount
  11. cold — not warm
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. tube — the underground
  14. lean — to bend
  15. cold — an illness
  16. stock — goods
  17. staff — employees
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. content — happy
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. rush — hurry
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. tube — a container
  24. lean — thin

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