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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: cell · mine · mug · field · bulb · branch · pitch · spell

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. spell — letters
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — farmland
  6. cell — in biology
  7. spell — a short time
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. field — a subject
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. spell — magic
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. bulb — for light
  17. mug — to rob
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bulb — for light
  21. branch — a division
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. mug — a face
  24. cell — a phone

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