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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 120 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: staff · club · rest · saw · branch · season · court · cold

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. cold — not warm
  3. club — for dancing
  4. season — of the year
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. saw — the tool
  7. court — of law
  8. club — a group
  9. rest — a break
  10. season — in sport
  11. staff — employees
  12. club — for golf
  13. staff — employees
  14. branch — a division
  15. staff — a stick
  16. court — for sport
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cold — an illness
  21. rest — what's left
  22. court — of a king
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. saw — the tool

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