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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: stock · chip · scale · sharp · ground · branch · nail · kid

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. chip — for betting
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. stock — shares
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. branch — a division
  9. ground — the earth
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. kid — to tease
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. scale — size or range
  15. ground — crushed
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. chip — to eat
  18. ground — a position
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. sharp — clever
  23. stock — goods
  24. kid — child

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