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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: field · fork · arm · date · hide · stock · pop · branch

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. field — for sport
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. pop — to visit
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. stock — goods
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — a division
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. field — farmland
  16. pop — soda
  17. field — a subject
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. date — the fruit
  22. fork — in a road
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. pop — music

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