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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: bound · date · stock · branch · wave · mine · rule · fork

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. fork — in a road
  8. mine — for digging
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. branch — a division
  11. bound — tied together
  12. stock — shares
  13. bound — obliged
  14. rule — government
  15. bound — certain
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. date — the fruit
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. rule — a law
  24. stock — goods

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