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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: drill · branch · file · current · stock · root · craft · hand

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — goods
  4. craft — boats
  5. root — the cause
  6. craft — a skill
  7. drill — a practice
  8. current — electric
  9. file — a line of people
  10. root — of a word
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. file — a document
  13. current — of water
  14. root — of a plant
  15. hand — help
  16. drill — the tool
  17. branch — a division
  18. stock — shares
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. current — happening now
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. drill — army training
  24. file — a tool

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