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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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468
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: can · pitch · ground · straw · branch · pass · wave · land

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. ground — a position
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. can — to be able to
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. land — to come down
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. branch — a division
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. ground — crushed
  15. pitch — completely
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — a tin
  18. pass — a permit
  19. land — ground
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. ground — the earth
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. pass — to spend time

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