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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: branch · spring · pitcher · fine · spell · pitch · face · clip

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spring — a coil
  3. face — to point toward
  4. branch — a division
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitch — completely
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. fine — all right
  9. spell — magic
  10. clip — a video
  11. face — to confront
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — a short time
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. spring — of water
  16. clip — for paper
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. face — part of the head
  19. fine — high quality
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. clip — to cut
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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