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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: lash · racket · cold · season · date · roll · branch · plane

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. roll — a list
  7. cold — not warm
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. date — the fruit
  13. cold — an illness
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. plane — a tool
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. roll — a cake
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. racket — for tennis

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