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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: can · content · net · rush · branch · object · wound · pitch

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. net — after costs
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. object — a thing
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. pitch — completely
  9. can — to be able to
  10. net — for catching
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. branch — a division
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. wound — an injury
  15. object — an aim
  16. wound — an injury
  17. net — in sport
  18. can — a tin
  19. object — to protest
  20. content — happy
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. can — a tin
  23. rush — hurry
  24. content — the amount

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