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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 116 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: pitch · straw · rush · branch · stock · shower · staff · vault

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. staff — a stick
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. shower — rain
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. shower — to wash
  12. pitch — completely
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. vault — a safe
  15. stock — goods
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. rush — hurry
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. stock — shares
  23. branch — a division
  24. rush — a thrill

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