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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. bulb — for light
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. season — in sport
  11. bark — to shout
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. bulb — for light
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. cell — in biology
  18. branch — a division
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. face — to point toward
  21. pitch — completely
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — part of the head
  24. season — of the year

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