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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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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 · branch · lash · sharp · rest · arm · bear · mark

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. sharp — clever
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. branch — a division
  6. rest — a break
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. rest — what's left
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mark — a grade
  16. bear — the animal
  17. rest — what's left
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. pitch — completely
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. bear — to put up with

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