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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: trunk · pitch · bore · sharp · date · key · branch · land

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. bore — to drill
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. land — to come down
  10. key — the most important part
  11. branch — a division
  12. key — in music
  13. pitch — completely
  14. land — ground
  15. sharp — clever
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. land — a country
  18. date — the fruit
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. key — for a lock

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