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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cell · rush · wound · branch · pitch · date · root · trunk

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. rush — hurry
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. root — of a plant
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. cell — a phone
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pitch — completely
  17. root — of a word
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. date — the fruit
  20. root — the cause
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. cell — in biology
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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