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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: can · branch · spell · trunk · season · drill · spring · hand

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. can — to be able to
  3. drill — the tool
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. spring — a coil
  6. season — in sport
  7. spell — a short time
  8. can — a tin
  9. spring — of water
  10. spring — the season
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. drill — a practice
  13. hand — in cards
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. hand — help
  17. drill — army training
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. can — a tin
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — letters

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