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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: firm · branch · bass · rash · band · stock · cabinet · prune

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. prune — to trim
  3. branch — a division
  4. firm — steady
  5. band — a music group
  6. rash — hasty
  7. stock — shares
  8. bass — the fish
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. prune — to trim
  13. firm — a company
  14. bass — low music
  15. stock — goods
  16. rash — a series
  17. band — a ring
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. firm — decided
  24. cabinet — ministers

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