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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 · branch · mouse · stand · march · band · chest · bound

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. band — a music group
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. bound — obliged
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. bound — tied together
  11. march — music
  12. pitch — completely
  13. march — the month
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. stand — to bear
  17. branch — a division
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — a box
  21. bound — certain
  22. march — the month
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. band — a ring

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