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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: spring · pitch · object · root · branch · roll · bark · pitcher

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. object — to protest
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. spring — of water
  9. object — a thing
  10. object — an aim
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. root — the cause
  13. bark — to shout
  14. root — of a word
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. roll — a list
  17. pitch — completely
  18. spring — the season
  19. root — of a plant
  20. spring — a coil
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. roll — a cake
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. pitcher — a jug

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