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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
468
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: swing · branch · stock · bore · arm · march · file · stick

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. swing — music
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. swing — to play on
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bore — to tire
  9. file — a document
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. branch — a division
  15. stock — shares
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a line of people
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. march — music
  22. swing — in golf
  23. stock — goods
  24. arm — part of the body

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