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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: branch · mark · season · fan · mate · field · object · pitcher

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mark — a trace
  5. season — in sport
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mate — to breed
  9. object — to protest
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. object — a thing
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. object — an aim
  17. field — for sport
  18. season — of the year
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. branch — a division
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — a subject
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. fan — a supporter

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