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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: arm · stem · hand · chest · stock · row · pound · branch

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. stock — shares
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. stock — goods
  6. stem — to come from
  7. hand — in cards
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. row — a line
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. chest — a box
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. pound — a weight
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — of your body
  19. row — to paddle
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. hand — help
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. branch — a division

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