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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: stand · branch · squash · kick · trunk · season · pitcher · hand

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. branch — a division
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. squash — to crush
  16. hand — help
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. stand — to bear
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. kick — in football
  21. hand — in cards
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. season — of the year

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