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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: pit · cabinet · branch · bay · season · band · hand · deal

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. hand — in cards
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. deal — to handle
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. hand — help
  11. pit — in a race
  12. band — a ring
  13. pit — a hole
  14. band — a music group
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. branch — a division
  17. season — in sport
  18. season — of the year
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. deal — an agreement

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