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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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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: pass · stock · fall · branch · bear · mark · saw · bat

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. pass — a permit
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. branch — a division
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. mark — a trace
  11. bear — the animal
  12. fall — to drop
  13. stock — goods
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bat — the animal
  16. stock — shares
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bear — the animal
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. fall — the season
  22. fall — to drop
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. branch — of a tree

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