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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 · club · shower · bank · lean · net · leaves · stem

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. club — a group
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. club — for dancing
  6. stem — to come from
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. net — after costs
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. lean — to bend
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. bank — for money
  13. bank — of a river
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. net — in sport
  17. lean — thin
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. club — for golf
  20. bank — for money
  21. pitch — completely
  22. net — for catching
  23. shower — to wash
  24. shower — rain

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