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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: lash · can · branch · rule · bound · row · net · pitch

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. pitch — completely
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. net — after costs
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. row — a line
  8. net — in sport
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bound — certain
  11. branch — a division
  12. row — to paddle
  13. bound — obliged
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. can — a tin
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. rule — government
  18. rule — a law
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. can — to be able to
  21. can — a tin
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. net — for catching

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