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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.

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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: branch · lean · net · tube · march · pitch · can · face

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. can — to be able to
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — a division
  6. march — music
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — completely
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. face — to confront
  11. march — the month
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. net — in sport
  14. face — to point toward
  15. tube — a container
  16. tube — the underground
  17. face — part of the head
  18. lean — to bend
  19. can — a tin
  20. net — for catching
  21. net — after costs
  22. can — a tin
  23. lean — thin
  24. march — the month

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