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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  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. pitch — a sports field
  2. prune — to trim
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. pass — a permit
  9. pitch — completely
  10. prune — to trim
  11. row — a line
  12. rest — a break
  13. rest — what's left
  14. shower — to wash
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. rest — what's left
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. row — to paddle
  19. branch — a division
  20. shower — rain
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. leaves — to go away
  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