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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: date · chest · branch · cabinet · bowl · pitch · shower · wave

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. chest — of your body
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. branch — a division
  11. chest — a box
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. shower — rain
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. chest — of your body
  19. shower — to wash
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. date — the fruit
  24. bowl — a dish

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