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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: bass · season · branch · lean · mine · bank · pit · wax

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. bank — of a river
  3. mine — for digging
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — of the year
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. wax — to grow
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. pit — a hole
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bank — for money
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. lean — thin
  17. bass — the fish
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. bass — low music
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. pit — in a race
  24. bank — for money

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