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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: season · mine · track · bulb · pitcher · saw · branch · board

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. track — a song
  3. bulb — for light
  4. mine — for digging
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. season — of the year
  9. branch — a division
  10. saw — the tool
  11. season — in sport
  12. track — a path
  13. bulb — for light
  14. track — to keep track
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. board — to get on
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. branch — of a tree

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