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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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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: rest · row · race · branch · firm · chest · pitch · trunk

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. race — a contest
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. firm — a company
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. race — humankind
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. chest — of your body
  9. firm — decided
  10. rest — what's left
  11. chest — of your body
  12. branch — a division
  13. row — a line
  14. rest — what's left
  15. chest — a box
  16. firm — steady
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. row — to paddle
  19. race — the arms race
  20. pitch — completely
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. branch — of a bank

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