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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.

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
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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: season · rush · mine · game · hide · branch · bass · wound

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — a division
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. season — of the year
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. game — a match
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bass — low music
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. rush — hurry
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. season — in sport
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bass — the fish
  21. wound — an injury
  22. game — wild animals
  23. wound — an injury
  24. season — to add flavour

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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