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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. mate — a partner
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. mate — to breed
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. mate — a friend
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. file — a line of people
  10. bulb — for light
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. file — a document
  14. present — the time now
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. present — a gift
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. present — there
  22. branch — a division
  23. file — a tool
  24. bulb — for light

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