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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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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bore — to tire
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. bore — to drill
  9. season — in sport
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. row — a line
  13. season — of the year
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. march — music
  16. tube — the underground
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. march — the month
  19. march — the month
  20. branch — a division
  21. tube — a container
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. pitch — completely

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