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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 120 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: pitcher · lash · lean · branch · pitch · deal · sharp · field

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. lean — thin
  4. deal — to handle
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — to bend
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — farmland
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. field — for sport
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. pitch — completely
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. lash — an eyelash

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