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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 · season · stand · mate · hand · net · saw · court

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. mate — to breed
  3. court — of a king
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. hand — help
  7. season — of the year
  8. mate — a partner
  9. net — in sport
  10. branch — a division
  11. stand — to bear
  12. hand — in cards
  13. saw — the tool
  14. season — in sport
  15. court — for sport
  16. net — for catching
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. mate — a friend
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. saw — the tool
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. net — after costs
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. court — of law

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