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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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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: pass · straw · pitch · foot · date · board · wave · branch

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. branch — a division
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. pass — a permit
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — completely
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. foot — a measure
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. board — to get on
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. board — a committee
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. date — the fruit
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. pass — to spend time

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