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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · mine · club · safe · fork · branch · pass · pitcher

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. mine — for digging
  4. club — for dancing
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. club — a group
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — in sport
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. club — for golf
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pass — a permit
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fork — in a road
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. branch — a division
  24. mine — belonging to me

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