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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: march · branch · pitch · rash · mouse · object · pitcher · jam

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. march — music
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. march — the month
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. object — to protest
  9. object — a thing
  10. march — the month
  11. rash — hasty
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. object — an aim
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. pitch — completely
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. rash — a series
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. mouse — for a computer

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