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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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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: stock · cell · current · bass · spell · saw · prune · branch

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. bass — the fish
  3. saw — the tool
  4. current — of water
  5. current — happening now
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. saw — the tool
  10. cell — a phone
  11. branch — a division
  12. current — electric
  13. stock — goods
  14. spell — a short time
  15. stock — shares
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. spell — magic
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. spell — letters
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bass — low music
  23. prune — to trim
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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