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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
468
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: jam · clip · fall · date · tear · bark · branch · stock

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. clip — for paper
  4. tear — from crying
  5. stock — goods
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. date — the fruit
  8. clip — a video
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. stock — shares
  14. tear — to rip
  15. branch — a division
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. fall — the season
  18. bark — to shout
  19. clip — to cut
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. fall — to drop
  22. tear — from crying
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. fall — to drop

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