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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.

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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 · file · stock · degree · lie · chip · nail · wind

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. file — a document
  5. lie — to recline
  6. file — a tool
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. file — a line of people
  9. wind — moving air
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. stock — goods
  13. degree — an amount
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. degree — from a university
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. chip — to eat
  19. wind — moving air
  20. chip — for betting
  21. degree — temperature
  22. stock — shares
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — an untruth

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