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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: branch · stock · kid · deal · last · key · tube · pitcher

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. last — final
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. kid — to tease
  6. branch — a division
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. key — the most important part
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. stock — goods
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. stock — shares
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. key — for a lock
  15. kid — child
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. tube — a container
  21. last — finally
  22. tube — the underground
  23. key — in music
  24. deal — to handle

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