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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 116 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: band · pitch · bank · race · leaves · last · stand · net

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. race — a contest
  3. band — a ring
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. stand — to bear
  7. band — a music group
  8. bank — of a river
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. last — to go on
  11. race — the arms race
  12. last — final
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. net — for catching
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. net — after costs
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. race — humankind
  20. last — finally
  21. net — in sport
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — for money

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