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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: nail · stem · pitcher · wake · pitch · straw · branch · leaves

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wake — a trail
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. stem — to come from
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — a division
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. pitch — completely
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. nail — on a finger

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