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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 116 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: branch · key · row · stock · capital · rock · spring · pop

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. key — the most important part
  4. row — to paddle
  5. pop — soda
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. stock — shares
  8. branch — a division
  9. pop — to visit
  10. capital — a city
  11. capital — money
  12. key — in music
  13. rock — a stone
  14. spring — a coil
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. spring — the season
  17. pop — music
  18. rock — music
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. spring — of water
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. row — a line
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. stock — goods

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