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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 120 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: wake · pitch · wound · bear · rock · branch · net · lie

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. pitch — completely
  3. bear — the animal
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. net — in sport
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bear — the animal
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. rock — music
  11. net — for catching
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. wound — an injury
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. branch — a division
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. rock — a stone
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. lie — to recline
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. wake — a trail

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