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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: game · ground · bulb · track · mate · branch · pit · scale

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. mate — a friend
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — for light
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. pit — a hole
  7. track — a song
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. track — to keep track
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. ground — a position
  13. game — wild animals
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. mate — a partner
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — crushed
  18. scale — size or range
  19. track — a path
  20. game — a match
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. pit — in a race
  23. branch — a division
  24. mate — to breed

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