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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 · net · cabinet · chair · bank · leaves · band · wind

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — after costs
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. net — for catching
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. band — a ring
  8. bank — for money
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — a leader
  11. wind — moving air
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. bank — for money
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. bank — of a river
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. band — a music group
  23. pitch — completely
  24. band — a rubber band

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