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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: season · hide · bat · branch · pound · band · stock · pass

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. season — in sport
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bat — the animal
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. pound — a weight
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. pass — a permit
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. band — a ring
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. stock — shares
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. band — a music group
  21. season — of the year
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. stock — goods
  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