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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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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: pitcher · board · branch · cap · mark · press · suit · hand

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. branch — a division
  5. hand — in cards
  6. press — a publisher
  7. mark — a grade
  8. mark — a trace
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. cap — a lid
  11. board — a committee
  12. suit — in cards
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. suit — to fit
  15. hand — help
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. cap — a hat
  18. press — to push
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. board — to get on
  21. cap — of ice
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. suit — clothes
  24. press — newspapers

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