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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 116 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: tube · track · file · last · firm · branch · stock · perch

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. stock — goods
  3. branch — a division
  4. last — finally
  5. firm — steady
  6. perch — the fish
  7. firm — a company
  8. file — a line of people
  9. tube — a container
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. track — a song
  14. last — to go on
  15. tube — the underground
  16. track — a path
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. last — final
  19. track — to keep track
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. file — a document
  22. stock — shares
  23. file — a tool
  24. stock — a soup base

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