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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: spell · cell · bound · trunk · bore · branch · fine · pitch

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. spell — magic
  3. fine — all right
  4. spell — letters
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. cell — a phone
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. bore — to tire
  9. branch — a division
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. fine — high quality
  13. bound — tied together
  14. cell — in biology
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bore — to drill
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. spell — a short time
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. bound — certain
  24. pitch — completely

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