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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: plane · branch · track · bulb · bat · can · band · prune

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. track — to keep track
  3. bulb — for light
  4. track — a path
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bat — the animal
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. plane — a tool
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. bulb — for light
  16. track — a song
  17. band — a music group
  18. prune — to trim
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. branch — a division
  23. band — a ring
  24. bat — for baseball

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