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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: toast · branch · fork · spring · craft · stem · stock · saw

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. spring — the season
  5. stock — shares
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. branch — a division
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. fork — in a road
  11. spring — a coil
  12. craft — a skill
  13. saw — the tool
  14. spring — of water
  15. stock — goods
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. toast — bread
  19. stem — to come from
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. fork — a garden tool

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