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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 · craft · date · arm · prune · branch · staff · swing

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. swing — in golf
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. staff — a stick
  5. branch — a division
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. prune — to trim
  8. swing — to play on
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. stock — goods
  13. craft — a skill
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. stock — shares
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. prune — to trim
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. craft — boats
  20. staff — employees
  21. swing — music
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. date — the fruit

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