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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: staff · kick · leaves · stick · ground · pitch · branch · file

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. file — a line of people
  3. staff — employees
  4. ground — a position
  5. file — a tool
  6. ground — crushed
  7. branch — a division
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. pitch — completely
  10. ground — the earth
  11. file — a document
  12. staff — employees
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. staff — a stick
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. kick — in football
  24. kick — a thrill

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