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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · rush · spell · fork · craft · branch · mouse · field

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. craft — boats
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. craft — a skill
  6. stock — shares
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. stock — goods
  9. rush — hurry
  10. spell — a short time
  11. branch — a division
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. field — farmland
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. field — for sport
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. fork — in a road
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. spell — magic
  24. field — a subject

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