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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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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: stock · bank · fall · saw · court · branch · current · toast

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. current — happening now
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. toast — bread
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. fall — to drop
  8. court — of a king
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — for money
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. bank — of a river
  13. court — for sport
  14. saw — the tool
  15. branch — a division
  16. court — of law
  17. current — of water
  18. saw — the tool
  19. stock — goods
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. stock — shares
  22. current — electric
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — the season

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