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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 116 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: pound · pitch · dip · staff · branch · last · wind · bank

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. staff — employees
  5. bank — for money
  6. last — to go on
  7. last — finally
  8. bank — of a river
  9. branch — a division
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. dip — to sink
  12. wind — moving air
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bank — for money
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. pound — a weight
  18. staff — a stick
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. last — final
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. staff — employees

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