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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 120 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: nail · perch · pitch · bank · leaves · stock · drill · wound

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  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. nail — on a finger
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wound — an injury
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. stock — goods
  8. drill — the tool
  9. stock — shares
  10. bank — for money
  11. pitch — completely
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. drill — army training
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bank — for money
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. perch — the fish
  21. drill — a practice
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. wound — an injury
  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