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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.

Words on the sheet
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: hand · pitch · bank · straw · clip · hide · rock · leaves

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. clip — for paper
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. pitch — completely
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. clip — to cut
  8. rock — a stone
  9. hand — in cards
  10. bank — for money
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. clip — a video
  17. bank — of a river
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. hand — help
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. rock — music
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. bank — for money
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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