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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: chest · club · last · stock · current · branch · toast · fall

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. chest — of your body
  4. last — to go on
  5. current — of water
  6. chest — of your body
  7. club — for dancing
  8. fall — the season
  9. stock — shares
  10. last — final
  11. toast — bread
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. stock — goods
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. current — happening now
  17. chest — a box
  18. fall — to drop
  19. current — electric
  20. fall — to drop
  21. club — a group
  22. last — finally
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. club — for golf

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