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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: craft · branch · mark · rush · stem · fork · mine · stock

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. mark — a trace
  4. craft — boats
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. craft — a skill
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. fork — in a road
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. stock — goods
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. rush — hurry
  18. mark — a grade
  19. stem — to come from
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mine — for digging
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. stem — a stem cell

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