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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: saw · march · mouse · stock · fan · branch · root · pass

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. root — of a plant
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. root — of a word
  12. pass — a permit
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. march — music
  17. stock — shares
  18. root — the cause
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. branch — a division
  21. march — the month
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. march — the month

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