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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: stock · pitch · rest · branch · field · current · perch · saw

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. field — a subject
  4. stock — shares
  5. rest — what's left
  6. current — happening now
  7. pitch — completely
  8. field — farmland
  9. branch — a division
  10. current — of water
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. field — for sport
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. stock — goods
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — a break
  22. current — electric
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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