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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: present · last · fall · cell · stock · date · branch · mouse

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. fall — to drop
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. last — to go on
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. branch — a division
  7. present — there
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cell — in biology
  11. stock — shares
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. fall — the season
  14. last — final
  15. fall — to drop
  16. present — the time now
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. last — finally
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. date — the fruit
  22. cell — a phone
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. present — a gift

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