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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: bat · vault · foot · ground · pitch · field · branch · perch

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. ground — the earth
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. ground — a position
  6. bat — the animal
  7. perch — the fish
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. field — for sport
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitch — completely
  13. field — farmland
  14. branch — a division
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. ground — crushed
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. field — a subject
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. foot — a measure
  23. vault — a safe
  24. bat — for baseball

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