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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.

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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: club · date · branch · dip · cabinet · season · drill · wake

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. branch — a division
  3. season — in sport
  4. dip — to sink
  5. club — a group
  6. drill — the tool
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. club — for dancing
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. club — for golf
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. date — the fruit
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. drill — a practice
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. season — of the year
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. drill — army training
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. wake — a trail

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