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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: tear · vault · rash · cap · pitch · hand · branch · stand

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. rash — hasty
  3. vault — a safe
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cap — a lid
  6. hand — in cards
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. rash — a series
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. branch — a division
  12. stand — to bear
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. tear — from crying
  15. hand — help
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. cap — of ice
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. cap — a hat
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. tear — to rip
  24. pitch — completely

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