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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: march · rash · pitch · tube · lash · stick · bank · stock

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. bank — for money
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. pitch — completely
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. march — music
  10. tube — the underground
  11. march — the month
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. stock — goods
  14. bank — of a river
  15. rash — a series
  16. stock — shares
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bank — for money
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. tube — a container
  23. march — the month
  24. rash — hasty

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