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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 · dip · band · drill · pit · shower · squash · season

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. drill — army training
  6. drill — a practice
  7. branch — a division
  8. pit — a hole
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. season — in sport
  11. pit — in a race
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. shower — rain
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. band — a music group
  16. squash — to crush
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to sink
  19. drill — the tool
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. band — a ring
  24. shower — to wash

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