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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.

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: cell · branch · shower · file · bay · land · stick · stock

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. stock — shares
  3. land — a country
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a tool
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — goods
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. cell — in biology
  15. file — a line of people
  16. land — ground
  17. land — to come down
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. branch — a division
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. shower — rain
  24. shower — to wash

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