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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: wake · branch · bore · wind · pitcher · court · pitch · track

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. track — a path
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bore — to drill
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. wake — a trail
  10. bore — to tire
  11. branch — a division
  12. court — of law
  13. court — of a king
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. court — for sport
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. track — to keep track
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. pitch — completely
  24. bore — gave birth

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