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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cold · bay · shower · pitch · branch · leaves · bulb · current

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. bulb — for light
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. shower — rain
  5. cold — an illness
  6. branch — a division
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. current — happening now
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. pitch — completely
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. current — electric
  20. current — of water
  21. bulb — for light
  22. shower — to wash
  23. cold — not warm
  24. leaves — to go away

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