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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: wound · tear · cabinet · roll · spring · spell · branch · stock

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. roll — a list
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. tear — from crying
  6. spell — magic
  7. tear — to rip
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — a short time
  10. stock — goods
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. roll — a cake
  13. wound — an injury
  14. stock — shares
  15. spring — the season
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. branch — a division
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. spring — of water
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. wound — an injury
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. tear — from crying
  24. spring — a coil

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