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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 120 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: branch · pitch · stock · rest · face · ball · cold · bank

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. pitch — completely
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. cold — not warm
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to point toward
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. ball — a great time
  9. cold — an illness
  10. branch — a division
  11. rest — what's left
  12. stock — goods
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. rest — what's left
  15. face — to confront
  16. stock — shares
  17. bank — for money
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — of a river
  22. rest — a break
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. cold — the Cold War

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