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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: pass · spell · branch · mate · stock · coach · pitch · wind

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. stock — shares
  3. pass — a permit
  4. stock — goods
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. spell — letters
  7. pitch — completely
  8. mate — a partner
  9. spell — a short time
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. mate — a friend
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. branch — a division
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. wind — moving air
  19. spell — magic
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. wind — moving air
  24. branch — of a tree

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