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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 116 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: bowl · safe · root · pitch · row · shower · branch · game

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. game — a match
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. root — of a plant
  5. branch — a division
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. row — a line
  8. root — the cause
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. shower — rain
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. shower — to wash
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. pitch — completely
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. row — to paddle
  22. game — wild animals
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. root — of a word

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