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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: patient · scale · clip · stock · fork · rock · branch · hide

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. rock — music
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. clip — a video
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. stock — goods
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. branch — a division
  13. stock — shares
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. scale — size or range
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. fork — in a road
  19. scale — in music
  20. clip — to cut
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. clip — for paper
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. hide — animal skin

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