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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: rock · bank · stock · prune · sharp · pitch · pass · kid

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. bank — for money
  4. sharp — clever
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. stock — goods
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. stock — shares
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bank — for money
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. kid — child
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. prune — to trim
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. pass — a permit
  20. kid — to tease
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rock — a stone

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