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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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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: branch · date · pound · straw · race · face · hide · pitch

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. race — a contest
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. face — to point toward
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. face — part of the head
  11. pound — a weight
  12. date — the fruit
  13. race — the arms race
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. race — humankind
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. branch — a division
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. face — to confront
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. pound — for dogs

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