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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: chest · pitch · bear · mine · net · firm · bore · branch

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. branch — a division
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bear — the animal
  7. firm — a company
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. chest — a box
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bore — to drill
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. net — in sport
  15. firm — decided
  16. bear — the animal
  17. chest — of your body
  18. net — after costs
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. net — for catching
  22. firm — steady
  23. pitch — completely
  24. chest — of your body

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