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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 · cell · hand · lie · bank · bark · wound · root

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. hand — in cards
  3. wound — an injury
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. bank — for money
  6. cell — in biology
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. bark — to shout
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. root — of a plant
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. lie — to recline
  16. cell — a phone
  17. root — the cause
  18. wound — an injury
  19. root — of a word
  20. bank — for money
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bank — of a river

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