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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 120 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
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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: leaves · march · fork · bass · rash · cue · season · branch

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. march — the month
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. march — the month
  6. season — in sport
  7. march — music
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. fork — in a road
  12. rash — a series
  13. branch — a division
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. bass — low music
  16. cue — for pool
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. cue — a hint
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. bass — the fish
  21. cue — a signal
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. season — of the year

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