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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — a friend
  8. date — the fruit
  9. staff — a stick
  10. mate — to breed
  11. bulb — for light
  12. pitch — completely
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. track — a song
  19. track — to keep track
  20. bulb — for light
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — employees
  23. track — a path
  24. branch — a division

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