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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · present · season · jam · rule · roll · cold · hide

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. present — there
  3. season — of the year
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. season — in sport
  8. roll — a list
  9. roll — a cake
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. present — the time now
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. branch — a division
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. present — a gift
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. cold — not warm
  23. rule — a law
  24. rule — government

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