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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: track · pitch · rush · trunk · mouse · mine · branch · clip

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. track — a path
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. rush — hurry
  10. track — to keep track
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. branch — a division
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. clip — to cut
  17. clip — for paper
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. pitch — completely
  21. clip — a video
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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