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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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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: bat · bank · field · staff · wave · pitch · bound · rush

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  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. bound — certain
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bank — for money
  5. field — a subject
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. bound — tied together
  8. staff — employees
  9. rush — hurry
  10. field — farmland
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. field — for sport
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. staff — employees
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bank — for money
  20. staff — a stick
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. bank — of a river
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  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