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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: rule · season · bear · branch · racket · date · trunk · hand

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. hand — in cards
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. bear — the animal
  10. rule — a law
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. bear — the animal
  14. rule — government
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. season — in sport
  19. hand — help
  20. branch — a division
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. season — of the year
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. trunk — of a car

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