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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: pitch · bore · straw · last · branch · mug · staff · season

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. season — in sport
  3. bore — to drill
  4. staff — employees
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. season — of the year
  7. bore — to tire
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. pitch — completely
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. last — finally
  13. mug — a face
  14. mug — to rob
  15. staff — a stick
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. mug — a cup
  19. last — final
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. staff — employees
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. last — to go on

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