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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. branch — a division
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. craft — a skill
  6. clip — to cut
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. craft — boats
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. wound — an injury
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. band — a music group
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. clip — a video
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. band — a ring
  22. wound — an injury
  23. pitch — completely
  24. clip — for paper

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