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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
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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: bay · pitch · straw · leaves · deal · season · branch · hand

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. branch — a division
  10. pitch — completely
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. season — in sport
  14. deal — to handle
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. hand — help
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. season — of the year
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — in cards

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