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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: net · pop · spring · coach · pitch · ball · trunk · branch

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. spring — the season
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. ball — a dance
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. pop — soda
  11. spring — of water
  12. pitch — completely
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — in sport
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. net — after costs
  19. branch — a division
  20. pop — music
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. spring — a coil
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. pop — to visit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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