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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: can · date · drill · mug · net · stock · branch · shower

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. stock — shares
  3. can — to be able to
  4. can — a tin
  5. date — the fruit
  6. net — after costs
  7. mug — a face
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. net — for catching
  11. can — a tin
  12. shower — rain
  13. drill — army training
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. mug — a cup
  16. shower — to wash
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. mug — to rob
  19. drill — a practice
  20. net — in sport
  21. drill — the tool
  22. stock — goods
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. branch — a division

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