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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: track · date · deal · bulb · season · branch · cap · land

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. track — a path
  3. season — of the year
  4. land — a country
  5. land — ground
  6. bulb — for light
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. bulb — for light
  9. track — a song
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. cap — a hat
  13. track — to keep track
  14. land — to come down
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. cap — a lid
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. date — the fruit
  21. cap — of ice
  22. branch — a division
  23. deal — to handle
  24. branch — of a bank

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