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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 · field · rush · bank · bound · hide · calf · roll

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. roll — a cake
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. rush — hurry
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. roll — a list
  7. bank — for money
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. field — for sport
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. bound — tied together
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. bound — certain
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. pitch — completely
  16. field — a subject
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bank — of a river
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. bank — for money
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. field — farmland
  24. bound — obliged

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