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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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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: jam · season · suit · hand · tear · branch · march · sharp

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. march — the month
  3. tear — from crying
  4. season — in sport
  5. suit — in cards
  6. season — of the year
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. march — music
  9. tear — to rip
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. hand — in cards
  12. tear — from crying
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. suit — to fit
  15. sharp — clever
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. branch — a division
  19. march — the month
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. hand — help
  24. sharp — with an edge

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