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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: branch · clip · bowl · spell · rock · pitch · shower · date

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — a division
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. clip — a video
  9. shower — to wash
  10. pitch — completely
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. clip — for paper
  16. clip — to cut
  17. rock — music
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. spell — letters
  20. shower — rain
  21. spell — a short time
  22. rock — a stone
  23. spell — magic
  24. bowl — a football final

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