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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: current · rush · nail · branch · pitch · pitcher · press · coach

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. current — happening now
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. branch — a division
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. press — a publisher
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. press — to push
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. current — electric
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. press — newspapers
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rush — hurry
  24. pitch — completely

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