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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: date · pitch · hide · swing · capital · plane · pitcher · branch

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. swing — to play on
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — a division
  15. capital — money
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. capital — a city
  18. swing — in golf
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. plane — a tool
  21. swing — music
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. pitch — completely

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