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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: bowl · pop · stock · stem · branch · drill · race · deal

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. stem — to come from
  3. race — a contest
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. stock — shares
  7. drill — the tool
  8. drill — a practice
  9. pop — to visit
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. pop — music
  12. drill — army training
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. race — the arms race
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. deal — to handle
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. race — humankind
  23. branch — a division
  24. stock — goods

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