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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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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: bear · ground · game · chip · lash · branch · wind · pitch

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. bear — the animal
  3. game — a match
  4. pitch — completely
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. chip — for betting
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. chip — to eat
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ground — a position
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. wind — moving air
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. ground — crushed
  24. game — wild animals

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