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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: stem · bay · pound · track · cue · stock · nail · branch

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. cue — a hint
  3. stock — shares
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. branch — a division
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. track — a song
  11. track — a path
  12. cue — for pool
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. track — to keep track
  15. stem — to come from
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. pound — a weight
  20. stock — goods
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. cue — a signal
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. stem — a stem cell

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