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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: pitch · cap · kid · branch · board · prune · root · stand

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. stand — to bear
  3. prune — to trim
  4. kid — child
  5. cap — of ice
  6. root — of a word
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. board — to get on
  11. pitch — completely
  12. board — a committee
  13. kid — to tease
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. prune — to trim
  16. branch — a division
  17. root — the cause
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. cap — a lid
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. root — of a plant
  23. cap — a hat
  24. stand — on your feet

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