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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: pitch · wake · lash · file · hide · bank · court · field

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — of a river
  4. field — a subject
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. file — a document
  7. court — of law
  8. wake — a trail
  9. court — of a king
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. field — for sport
  14. file — a tool
  15. court — for sport
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. bank — for money
  18. field — farmland
  19. pitch — completely
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. file — a line of people
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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