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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: swing · track · hide · land · net · root · pitcher · branch

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. track — a path
  4. swing — in golf
  5. root — the cause
  6. track — a song
  7. land — a country
  8. net — in sport
  9. land — ground
  10. net — after costs
  11. land — to come down
  12. swing — music
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. root — of a plant
  15. branch — a division
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. net — for catching
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. root — of a word
  21. track — to keep track
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. swing — to play on
  24. hide — to keep secret

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