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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: bulb · branch · track · bank · dip · court · clip · season

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. season — of the year
  3. dip — to sink
  4. season — in sport
  5. bank — of a river
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — a video
  8. track — a song
  9. track — a path
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of law
  12. track — to keep track
  13. bank — for money
  14. court — of a king
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. bank — for money
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. clip — for paper
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. branch — a division
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. bulb — for light

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