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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
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: can · last · leaves · wind · pitcher · branch · season · drill

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. last — to go on
  3. can — to be able to
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. season — in sport
  6. wind — moving air
  7. drill — army training
  8. wind — moving air
  9. drill — the tool
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. can — a tin
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. season — of the year
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. branch — a division
  16. last — finally
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. drill — a practice
  19. can — a tin
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. last — final
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. season — to add flavour

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