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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: stock · pitcher · roll · bound · temple · mate · snap · branch

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. roll — a cake
  3. branch — a division
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. roll — a list
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. mate — to breed
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — tied together
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mate — a partner
  14. bound — obliged
  15. snap — to click
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. stock — shares
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. mate — a friend
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. stock — goods
  24. stock — a soup base

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