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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: branch · pitch · stock · bear · lash · march · bat · bark

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. bear — the animal
  3. pitch — completely
  4. march — the month
  5. bat — the animal
  6. branch — a division
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. march — the month
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. bark — to shout
  14. stock — shares
  15. bear — the animal
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. stock — goods
  21. march — music
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. branch — of a bank

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