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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 · coach · bat · band · stand · branch · spell · track

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. band — a music group
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. track — a path
  6. pitch — completely
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. spell — magic
  11. branch — a division
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. stand — to bear
  14. track — a song
  15. band — a ring
  16. bat — the animal
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. track — to keep track
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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