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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 · mouse · prune · track · capital · stand · branch · cap

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a path
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. branch — a division
  6. prune — to trim
  7. stand — to bear
  8. capital — money
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. stock — goods
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — of ice
  16. prune — to trim
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. stock — shares
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. track — a song
  21. capital — a city
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. cap — a lid
  24. mouse — the animal

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