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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 · mate · sharp · tear · dip · calf · branch · spring

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. tear — from crying
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. mate — a friend
  7. spring — of water
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. branch — a division
  10. sharp — clever
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pitch — completely
  15. tear — to rip
  16. tear — from crying
  17. spring — a coil
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. dip — to sink
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mate — to breed

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