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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 · wake · press · branch · rash · saw · content · fan

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. rash — hasty
  4. saw — the tool
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — a series
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. content — the amount
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. press — a publisher
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. press — newspapers
  14. wake — a trail
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. press — to push
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. stock — goods
  22. content — happy
  23. saw — the tool
  24. stock — shares

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