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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: rest · wound · lean · spell · branch · bore · fan · stock

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. wound — an injury
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bore — to drill
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bore — to tire
  11. spell — magic
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. stock — goods
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. spell — letters
  17. wound — an injury
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — what's left
  20. branch — a division
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. rest — a break
  23. lean — thin
  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