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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitch · branch · leaves · row · wave · mine · track · content

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. mine — for digging
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. row — a line
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. content — happy
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. pitch — completely
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. track — a song
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. row — to paddle
  18. branch — a division
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. track — a path
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. track — to keep track

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