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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: date · rush · season · mark · key · bark · jam · branch

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bark — to shout
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. key — the most important part
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. key — for a lock
  9. date — the fruit
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. mark — a trace
  12. rush — hurry
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. mark — a grade
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. branch — a division
  19. key — in music
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. season — in sport
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. season — of the year
  24. branch — of a bank

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