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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 · branch · tube · cabinet · spring · rule · row

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. pitch — completely
  3. rule — a law
  4. tube — a container
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. rule — government
  7. track — a path
  8. row — a line
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. branch — a division
  13. track — to keep track
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — a coil
  18. track — a song
  19. tube — the underground
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. row — to paddle

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