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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: branch · date · bowl · bound · chest · season · sharp · pit

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. season — of the year
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. chest — a box
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bound — certain
  11. season — in sport
  12. pit — in a race
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. date — the fruit
  15. bound — obliged
  16. branch — a division
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. bound — tied together
  22. pit — a hole
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. sharp — clever

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