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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: squash · wake · season · game · fan · branch · mark · hand

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. squash — to crush
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. season — of the year
  7. branch — a division
  8. hand — in cards
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. season — in sport
  12. mark — a grade
  13. squash — the sport
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. mark — a trace
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — a match
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. hand — help
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. game — wild animals
  24. hand — part of the body

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