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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. branch — a division
  3. prune — to trim
  4. hand — in cards
  5. suit — clothes
  6. suit — in cards
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. hand — help
  12. season — of the year
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. pass — a permit
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — to crush
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. suit — to fit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. season — in sport
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. squash — the vegetable

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