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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: deal · bowl · stock · fall · tube · rock · trunk · branch

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. fall — to drop
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. fall — the season
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. stock — goods
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. deal — to handle
  12. branch — a division
  13. rock — a stone
  14. fall — to drop
  15. tube — a container
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. rock — music
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. stock — shares

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