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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bound · branch · hide · scale · cabinet · swing · tear · pitch

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. scale — in music
  3. branch — a division
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. pitch — completely
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. bound — tied together
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. tear — from crying
  10. swing — to play on
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. swing — in golf
  13. tear — to rip
  14. scale — size or range
  15. swing — music
  16. tear — from crying
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. bound — obliged
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. bound — certain

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