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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: stock · march · cabinet · branch · file · spell · pitcher · toast

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stock — goods
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. spell — letters
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. march — the month
  8. branch — a division
  9. march — the month
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. march — music
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. file — a document
  16. toast — bread
  17. spell — magic
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. file — a tool
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. spell — a short time
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. file — a line of people

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