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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: pitch · ground · stock · kid · temple · branch · bulb · sharp

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. kid — child
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. stock — goods
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. stock — shares
  11. bulb — for light
  12. pitch — completely
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. sharp — clever
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. ground — the earth
  18. branch — a division
  19. kid — to tease
  20. bulb — for light
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. ground — a position
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. sharp — with an edge

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