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

Word bank: bulb · date · pitch · wind · branch · key · lash · mate

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  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. mate — to breed
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. wind — moving air
  5. date — the fruit
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. mate — a partner
  11. bulb — for light
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mate — a friend
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. pitch — completely
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — in music
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. bulb — for light
  23. branch — of a bank
  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