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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: key · squash · drill · branch · lie · net · pitch · lean

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. drill — a practice
  3. key — the most important part
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. net — in sport
  10. lie — to recline
  11. net — for catching
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. lean — thin
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. key — in music
  17. drill — army training
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. key — for a lock
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. net — after costs
  22. squash — to crush
  23. squash — the sport
  24. pitch — completely

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