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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: branch · ruler · mine · stock · spring · ground · racket · content

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. ground — crushed
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. content — happy
  6. spring — of water
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. ground — a position
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. spring — a coil
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. stock — goods
  17. spring — the season
  18. stock — shares
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. content — the amount
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. branch — a division
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. ground — the earth

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