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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: rock · wind · vault · sharp · branch · bound · rest · pitch

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. wind — moving air
  6. branch — a division
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. rest — a break
  13. rest — what's left
  14. pitch — completely
  15. bound — obliged
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. rock — music
  18. bound — certain
  19. wind — moving air
  20. sharp — clever
  21. bound — tied together
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. rock — a stone
  24. vault — a safe

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