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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  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 — completely
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. clip — to cut
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. branch — a division
  7. clip — a video
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. ball — a dance
  14. stand — to bear
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. branch — of a tree
  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