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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 120 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: suit · can · march · rush · wake · branch · stock · field

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. branch — a division
  3. suit — clothes
  4. suit — to fit
  5. can — to be able to
  6. march — the month
  7. rush — hurry
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. field — for sport
  11. can — a tin
  12. field — farmland
  13. field — a subject
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — goods
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. suit — in cards
  19. march — the month
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. can — a tin
  22. march — music
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. wake — a trail

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