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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: branch · bay · kick · rest · spring · squash · pitch · wound

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. kick — in football
  3. wound — an injury
  4. squash — the sport
  5. spring — of water
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. spring — the season
  8. rest — what's left
  9. squash — to crush
  10. spring — a coil
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rest — what's left
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. branch — a division
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. rest — a break
  24. pitch — a sports field

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