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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: ball · bark · file · stock · branch · capital · fine · kid

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. branch — a division
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. file — a line of people
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. kid — to tease
  8. ball — a dance
  9. file — a tool
  10. capital — a city
  11. kid — child
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. file — a document
  14. ball — a great time
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. stock — goods
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fine — all right
  23. capital — money
  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