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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 120 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: season · drill · rush · coach · arm · court · branch · pit

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. drill — army training
  4. court — of a king
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — of the year
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. court — for sport
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. court — of law
  17. drill — the tool
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. drill — a practice
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. pit — a hole
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. branch — a division
  24. pit — in a race

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