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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 120 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: race · swing · patient · branch · track · saw · leaves · pitch

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. swing — in golf
  3. swing — to play on
  4. track — to keep track
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. race — the arms race
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. swing — music
  11. saw — the tool
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. track — a path
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. race — humankind
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. branch — a division
  22. pitch — completely
  23. track — a song
  24. race — a contest

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