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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: stock · pitch · mine · land · bank · pitcher · temple · staff

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. land — to come down
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — employees
  7. land — ground
  8. pitch — completely
  9. staff — a stick
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. bank — of a river
  13. stock — shares
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bank — for money
  21. land — a country
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. bank — for money
  24. temple — side of the head

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