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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: tube · hide · lean · bear · pitch · branch · stem · content

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. branch — a division
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. stem — to come from
  12. tube — a container
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bear — the animal
  18. lean — thin
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. pitch — completely
  21. lean — to bend
  22. content — happy
  23. bear — the animal
  24. content — the amount

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