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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: saw · chest · wax · branch · root · current · firm · stock

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. saw — the tool
  4. current — electric
  5. stock — shares
  6. firm — a company
  7. root — of a plant
  8. branch — a division
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. firm — steady
  12. root — the cause
  13. chest — of your body
  14. root — of a word
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. chest — of your body
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. current — happening now
  19. current — of water
  20. stock — goods
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wax — to grow
  24. chest — a box

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