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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: net · pound · branch · bear · shower · pit · arm · pitch

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. pit — a hole
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. net — after costs
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. branch — a division
  11. pound — a weight
  12. net — for catching
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bear — the animal
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. shower — rain
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. pit — in a race
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. net — in sport
  24. pitch — completely

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