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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.

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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 · stem · bound · trunk · field · stick · patient

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. stock — shares
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stem — to come from
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — tied together
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. field — for sport
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. branch — a division
  18. stock — goods
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. bound — certain
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. field — farmland
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. branch — of a bank

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