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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 120 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: pitch · row · branch · squash · press · vault · ball · patient

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. ball — a dance
  3. squash — to crush
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. vault — a safe
  6. press — to push
  7. ball — a great time
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. press — newspapers
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — a division
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. squash — the sport
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. row — to paddle
  23. pitch — completely
  24. row — a line

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