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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: mark · stock · coach · press · bowl · branch · prune · file

  1. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. stock — shares
  3. press — a publisher
  4. file — a tool
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. mark — a trace
  9. mark — a grade
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. stock — goods
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. press — newspapers
  16. prune — to trim
  17. press — to push
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. file — a document
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. branch — a division
  24. bowl — a football final

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