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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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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: straw · racket · pitch · branch · bay · rock · rest · hand

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. hand — help
  8. rock — a stone
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. rock — music
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. branch — a division
  20. rest — a break
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. rest — what's left

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