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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: cabinet · club · branch · nail · bat · tear · pitch · dip

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. club — for dancing
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. bat — the animal
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. tear — to rip
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. club — a group
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. pitch — completely
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. branch — a division
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. club — for golf
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. dip — to sink
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. nail — for a hammer

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