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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: prune · trunk · branch · season · pitch · calf · drill · coach

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. branch — a division
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. drill — the tool
  6. pitch — completely
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. drill — a practice
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. prune — to trim
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — of the year
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. season — in sport
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. drill — army training
  21. prune — to trim
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. coach — a trainer

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