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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: chest · tube · branch · pitch · clip · stock · leaves · stand

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. tube — a container
  3. clip — to cut
  4. branch — a division
  5. stand — to bear
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. clip — a video
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — a box
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. stock — shares
  13. clip — for paper
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. pitch — completely
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stock — goods
  22. chest — of your body
  23. tube — the underground
  24. stand — on your feet

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