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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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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: wind · bark · stock · bay · stand · rest · capital · branch

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. rest — what's left
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. stock — shares
  11. rest — what's left
  12. capital — a city
  13. wind — moving air
  14. stock — goods
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. wind — moving air
  17. rest — a break
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. branch — a division
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. bark — to shout
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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