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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: stock · deal · dip · bark · branch · bass · field · capital

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. deal — to handle
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. field — a subject
  5. dip — to sink
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. stock — shares
  10. bark — to shout
  11. stock — goods
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. capital — money
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — a division
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bass — low music
  21. field — farmland
  22. bass — the fish
  23. capital — a city
  24. bark — of a tree

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