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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.

Words on the sheet
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: wound · stock · mine · toast · branch · kid · pass · hand

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. toast — bread
  4. stock — goods
  5. wound — an injury
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — help
  8. mine — for digging
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. kid — child
  16. stock — shares
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. kid — to tease
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. pass — a permit
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. branch — a division
  24. wound — an injury

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