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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 116 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: march · hand · season · last · face · key · branch · rash

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. key — the most important part
  3. branch — a division
  4. hand — in cards
  5. march — the month
  6. last — to go on
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. rash — a series
  10. march — music
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. face — to point toward
  13. key — for a lock
  14. face — to confront
  15. hand — help
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. march — the month
  19. last — finally
  20. season — in sport
  21. key — in music
  22. last — final
  23. season — of the year
  24. rash — hasty

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