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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: pitcher · branch · bear · stand · cabinet · racket · wound · wind

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bear — the animal
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wound — an injury
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. bear — the animal
  18. stand — to bear
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. branch — a division
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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