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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

Word bank: march · racket · date · branch · tube · bear · bark · bulb

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. bear — the animal
  4. march — the month
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. tube — a container
  7. date — the fruit
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bear — the animal
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. march — the month
  13. tube — the underground
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bulb — for light
  20. branch — a division
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. march — music
  24. bear — to put up with

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