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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: net · spring · bear · file · branch · jam · stock · pop

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. file — a document
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. bear — the animal
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. stock — shares
  8. spring — a coil
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. net — in sport
  11. file — a tool
  12. spring — of water
  13. net — after costs
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. net — for catching
  16. pop — to visit
  17. stock — goods
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. bear — the animal
  20. file — a line of people
  21. branch — a division
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. spring — the season
  24. pop — soda

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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