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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: pitch · branch · roll · mine · rock · kick · band · net

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. band — a ring
  3. net — for catching
  4. pitch — completely
  5. band — a music group
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. rock — music
  10. net — after costs
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — for digging
  13. roll — a cake
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. net — in sport
  19. kick — in football
  20. roll — a list
  21. rock — a stone
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. branch — a division
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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