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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: pitcher · stick · face · band · branch · roll · rash · kick

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. band — a ring
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. face — part of the head
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. face — to confront
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. band — a music group
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. roll — a cake
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. rash — a series
  22. branch — a division
  23. face — to point toward
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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