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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: kick · stock · branch · shower · deal · hand · plane · wake

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. wake — a trail
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. branch — a division
  8. plane — a tool
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. shower — rain
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — to handle
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. stock — goods
  17. stock — shares
  18. shower — to wash
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. hand — in cards
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. hand — help

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