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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
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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: plane · squash · pound · mate · pass · stock · band · branch

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. branch — a division
  4. squash — the sport
  5. mate — to breed
  6. pound — a weight
  7. mate — a friend
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. plane — a tool
  10. band — a music group
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. band — a ring
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. squash — to crush
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. mate — a partner
  19. stock — shares
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. pass — a permit

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