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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
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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: sharp · mine · march · trunk · stock · pass · branch · spell

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. march — the month
  3. spell — letters
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. mine — for digging
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. branch — a division
  10. sharp — clever
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. spell — a short time
  16. stock — shares
  17. spell — magic
  18. pass — a permit
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. stock — goods
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. mine — belonging to me

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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