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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitcher · kick · wave · shower · bark · prune · pitch · branch

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. branch — a division
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. kick — in football
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. shower — rain
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — to wash
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. pitch — completely
  23. bark — to shout
  24. pitcher — a jug

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