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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: hide · pitch · straw · plane · branch · bass · can · staff

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. branch — a division
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. plane — a tool
  9. can — a tin
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. pitch — completely
  14. staff — employees
  15. bass — the fish
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. staff — employees
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bass — low music
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. straw — a straw man

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