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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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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: stock · march · nail · cue · rest · wound · branch · stem

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. march — the month
  4. rest — what's left
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. stock — goods
  8. stem — to come from
  9. wound — an injury
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. stock — shares
  13. cue — a signal
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. cue — for pool
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. march — the month
  19. wound — an injury
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. rest — a break
  22. cue — a hint
  23. rest — what's left
  24. nail — on a finger

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