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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.

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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: branch · rock · spell · stock · cell · net · wound · sharp

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. wound — an injury
  3. net — for catching
  4. rock — a stone
  5. wound — an injury
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. spell — magic
  10. net — after costs
  11. spell — letters
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. stock — shares
  15. stock — goods
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — a division
  18. rock — music
  19. spell — a short time
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. cell — a phone
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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