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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: last · field · arm · branch · season · rest · pitch · bass

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — in sport
  4. last — finally
  5. bass — low music
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bass — the fish
  8. field — farmland
  9. rest — what's left
  10. branch — a division
  11. last — to go on
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. field — for sport
  15. rest — what's left
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. last — final
  21. rest — a break
  22. field — a subject
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pitch — completely

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