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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: branch · pitch · jam · track · cabinet · file · mine · hand

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. track — a song
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. file — a tool
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. file — a document
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. track — a path
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. track — to keep track
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. hand — help
  18. pitch — completely
  19. hand — in cards
  20. file — a line of people
  21. branch — a division
  22. mine — for digging
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. mine — an explosive

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