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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: root · branch · mark · hide · stock · mine · fan · arm

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. stock — goods
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. mine — for digging
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. root — of a plant
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. mark — a grade
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. root — the cause
  18. branch — a division
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. root — of a word
  22. stock — shares
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mark — a trace

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