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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: dip · squash · stem · trunk · field · branch · march · pitch

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. squash — to crush
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — a subject
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. field — farmland
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. march — the month
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. march — the month
  13. stem — to come from
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. squash — the sport
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. dip — to sink
  18. branch — a division
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. pitch — completely
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. stem — of a plant

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