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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: safe · fall · pop · stock · branch · current · date · trunk

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. branch — a division
  3. stock — shares
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. pop — to visit
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. fall — the season
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. current — electric
  18. date — the fruit
  19. current — happening now
  20. stock — goods
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. pop — soda
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. pop — music

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