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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: sharp · wave · pitch · drill · branch · perch · tube · mine

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. pitch — completely
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. perch — the fish
  11. sharp — clever
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. drill — a practice
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. drill — army training
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mine — for digging
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — a container
  22. drill — the tool
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. wave — with your hand

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