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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 · wave · bore · season · craft · clip · stock · pitch

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. branch — a division
  3. craft — a skill
  4. stock — goods
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. season — of the year
  8. clip — for paper
  9. craft — boats
  10. pitch — completely
  11. clip — to cut
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. clip — a video
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. season — in sport
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. bore — to tire
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. bore — to drill
  22. stock — shares
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. season — to add flavour

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