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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: club · craft · branch · face · mine · pass · pitch · sharp

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. mine — for digging
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. club — for golf
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. pass — a permit
  13. club — for dancing
  14. face — part of the head
  15. face — to confront
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. club — a group
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. sharp — clever
  20. craft — boats
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — completely
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. craft — a skill

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