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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cell · stock · mine · tear · file · branch · patient · rush

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. tear — to rip
  4. tear — from crying
  5. stock — goods
  6. branch — a division
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. cell — in biology
  10. tear — from crying
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. file — a document
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — for digging
  16. file — a tool
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. file — a line of people
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. cell — a phone
  24. rush — to hurry

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