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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 120 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: bulb · branch · pass · cold · clip · key · pitch · lean

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. bulb — for light
  3. pitch — completely
  4. bulb — for light
  5. lean — to bend
  6. key — the most important part
  7. cold — not warm
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. key — in music
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. cold — an illness
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. key — for a lock
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. clip — to cut
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. lean — thin
  22. clip — a video
  23. pass — a permit
  24. branch — a division

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