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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: bulb · trunk · clip · branch · row · mark · coach · field

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. bulb — for light
  3. mark — a trace
  4. field — for sport
  5. clip — to cut
  6. row — a line
  7. clip — a video
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mark — a grade
  16. clip — for paper
  17. field — farmland
  18. row — to paddle
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. bulb — for light
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — a trainer

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