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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: game · ground · branch · bass · mate · season · trunk · rule

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. bass — the fish
  3. ground — crushed
  4. branch — a division
  5. game — a match
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bass — low music
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mate — a partner
  12. rule — a law
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. season — of the year
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. ground — the earth
  19. rule — government
  20. mate — to breed
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. season — in sport
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. ground — a position

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