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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: jam · season · root · rash · hand · cap · bore · branch

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. bore — to tire
  4. rash — a series
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. branch — a division
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. root — of a word
  10. cap — of ice
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — help
  13. season — of the year
  14. season — in sport
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. cap — a hat
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. bore — to drill
  19. root — the cause
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. root — of a plant
  22. cap — a lid
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. branch — of a tree

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