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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.

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: mine · wave · row · hand · scale · pitch · bank · file

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. bank — for money
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. bank — for money
  6. pitch — completely
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. file — a line of people
  10. row — to paddle
  11. hand — in cards
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. file — a tool
  15. scale — size or range
  16. scale — in music
  17. bank — of a river
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. hand — help
  20. row — a line
  21. file — a document
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mine — an explosive

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