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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: ball · bulb · mine · season · bark · pit · branch · saw

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. pit — in a race
  3. season — in sport
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. season — of the year
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bulb — for light
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bark — to shout
  13. ball — a great time
  14. saw — the tool
  15. branch — a division
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. saw — the tool
  22. pit — a hole
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a round shape

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