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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: foot · press · track · craft · pound · branch · shower · season

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. track — to keep track
  3. press — a publisher
  4. craft — boats
  5. season — of the year
  6. press — newspapers
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. craft — a skill
  9. season — in sport
  10. shower — to wash
  11. track — a path
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. branch — a division
  14. press — to push
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. pound — a weight
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. track — a song
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. shower — rain
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. foot — a measure

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