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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  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. pitch — a sales talk
  2. branch — a division
  3. bark — to shout
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. bulb — for light
  9. can — a tin
  10. spring — of water
  11. rash — a series
  12. pitch — completely
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. can — to be able to
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — a coil
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. rash — hasty
  22. can — a tin
  23. straw — a straw man
  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