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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.

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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 · stock · track · bowl · cue · branch · wound · fork

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. saw — the tool
  3. track — to keep track
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. fork — in a road
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. cue — a signal
  9. cue — a hint
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. wound — an injury
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. cue — for pool
  15. track — a song
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. stock — shares
  18. track — a path
  19. stock — goods
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. wound — an injury
  24. branch — of a bank

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