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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 · band · spring · trunk · pop · patient · tube · pitch

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. band — a music group
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. branch — a division
  5. band — a ring
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. spring — of water
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. tube — the underground
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. tube — a container
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. pop — music
  19. pop — soda
  20. spring — a coil
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. spring — the season

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