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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 116 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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. last — to go on
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. last — final
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. suit — to fit
  7. suit — clothes
  8. branch — a division
  9. suit — in cards
  10. last — finally
  11. cap — a lid
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. season — in sport
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. wind — moving air
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. season — of the year
  21. wind — moving air
  22. cap — of ice
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. cap — a hat

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