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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: kid · band · stick · toast · lean · pitch · cell · branch

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. band — a music group
  3. branch — a division
  4. pitch — completely
  5. lean — to bend
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. lean — thin
  13. kid — child
  14. band — a ring
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. toast — bread
  18. kid — to tease
  19. cell — a phone
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. branch — of a tree

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