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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: bat · stem · branch · fine · net · foot · rock · pitch

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. bat — the animal
  4. rock — music
  5. net — after costs
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. stem — to come from
  8. net — in sport
  9. pitch — completely
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. branch — a division
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. rock — a stone
  14. foot — a measure
  15. fine — high quality
  16. fine — all right
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. net — for catching
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. bat — in an idiom

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