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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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468
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: temple · calf · branch · craft · pitch · mouse · stock · root

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. stock — goods
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. craft — a skill
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. root — the cause
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. pitch — completely
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. root — of a plant
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. stock — shares
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. root — of a word
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. pitch — a sports field
  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