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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: bear · bass · branch · pitch · stock · cue · shower · temple

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. cue — a signal
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bass — the fish
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. pitch — completely
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. branch — a division
  10. bear — the animal
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. cue — a hint
  15. stock — goods
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. cue — for pool
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. stock — shares
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. shower — to wash
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. bass — low music
  24. bear — to put up with

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