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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · foot · trunk · spring · branch · last · lie · race

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. race — a contest
  3. race — humankind
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. foot — a measure
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. lie — to recline
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. branch — a division
  15. pitch — completely
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. race — the arms race
  19. spring — a coil
  20. last — to go on
  21. spring — of water
  22. last — finally
  23. last — final
  24. spring — the season

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