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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: bass · pitch · land · bulb · branch · net · stick · tube

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. net — after costs
  7. land — ground
  8. pitch — completely
  9. land — to come down
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. branch — a division
  12. net — for catching
  13. tube — the underground
  14. bass — low music
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. tube — a container
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. net — in sport
  24. land — a country

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