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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 · club · branch · wake · press · pitcher · toast · hand

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. hand — in cards
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. hand — help
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. club — for dancing
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. press — newspapers
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. branch — a division
  16. wake — a trail
  17. toast — bread
  18. press — a publisher
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. press — to push
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. club — a group
  24. pitch — a sports field

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