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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: branch · hand · spring · rash · stock · pitch · deal · mouse

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. pitch — completely
  5. hand — help
  6. rash — a series
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. stock — shares
  9. spring — of water
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. stock — goods
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. deal — to handle
  19. rash — hasty
  20. spring — the season
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. spring — a coil
  23. branch — a division
  24. hand — in cards

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