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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: season · wound · fine · branch · safe · cold · rush · pit

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. pit — in a race
  4. wound — an injury
  5. cold — not warm
  6. fine — all right
  7. wound — an injury
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. pit — a hole
  10. cold — an illness
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. season — of the year
  17. rush — hurry
  18. branch — a division
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. fine — high quality
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. season — in sport
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. safe — out of danger

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