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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: branch · band · court · foot · pound · craft · net · stock

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. stock — goods
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. branch — a division
  5. band — a ring
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. net — in sport
  11. craft — boats
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. court — of a king
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — for catching
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. court — of law
  19. band — a music group
  20. court — for sport
  21. stock — shares
  22. pound — a weight
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. craft — a skill

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