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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: stock · branch · rush · mine · racket · ground · land · mate

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mate — a friend
  4. land — to come down
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. ground — crushed
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. land — ground
  9. ground — the earth
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. rush — hurry
  14. land — a country
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. ground — a position
  17. branch — a division
  18. mate — to breed
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. stock — shares
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mate — a partner

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