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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 116 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: saw · present · wave · pitch · rest · stick · squash · branch

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. present — a gift
  8. rest — what's left
  9. present — there
  10. branch — a division
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rest — a break
  13. rest — what's left
  14. squash — to crush
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. present — the time now
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pitch — a sports field

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