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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.

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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: firm · ground · wake · stock · stem · deal · branch · present

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. stem — to come from
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. present — a gift
  5. wake — a trail
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. ground — crushed
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. firm — a company
  11. ground — a position
  12. branch — a division
  13. firm — steady
  14. deal — to handle
  15. present — the time now
  16. stock — shares
  17. firm — decided
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. present — there
  20. stock — goods
  21. ground — the earth
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. wake — before a funeral

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