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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: pitch · pitcher · ruler · lash · dip · branch · clip · stem

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. clip — for paper
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. clip — a video
  13. branch — a division
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. clip — to cut
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. stem — to come from
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. dip — to sink
  24. pitch — a sports field

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