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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: rest · branch · rule · bark · current · sharp · stock · root

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. root — of a word
  4. stock — goods
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — shares
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. root — of a plant
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. rest — a break
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. rule — a law
  13. root — the cause
  14. rule — government
  15. branch — a division
  16. current — happening now
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. current — of water
  19. current — electric
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rest — what's left
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. bark — to shout
  24. rest — what's left

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