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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: nail · branch · fall · season · racket · fork · pass · court

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. court — of a king
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. court — of law
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fall — the season
  16. branch — a division
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. pass — a permit
  21. court — for sport
  22. season — of the year
  23. fall — to drop
  24. season — to add flavour

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