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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: firm · deal · tube · date · branch · march · pitch · lash

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. deal — to handle
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — the underground
  9. pitch — completely
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — a division
  15. march — the month
  16. date — the fruit
  17. firm — a company
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. march — the month
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. firm — decided
  22. march — music
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. date — on the calendar

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