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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: cue · stock · wind · wound · craft · content · deal · branch

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. wind — moving air
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. craft — boats
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. cue — a hint
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. craft — a skill
  14. deal — to handle
  15. branch — a division
  16. wound — an injury
  17. stock — shares
  18. content — happy
  19. wind — moving air
  20. cue — a signal
  21. content — the amount
  22. cue — for pool
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. deal — a big deal

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