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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 120 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: foot · trunk · bat · branch · fork · pitch · cabinet · prune

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. pitch — completely
  9. prune — to trim
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. branch — a division
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. foot — a measure
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. prune — to trim
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. fork — in a road
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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