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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: suit · branch · last · season · cold · march · pitch · rush

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. suit — to fit
  3. cold — an illness
  4. rush — hurry
  5. suit — clothes
  6. cold — not warm
  7. pitch — completely
  8. suit — in cards
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. last — final
  12. last — finally
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. branch — a division
  18. march — music
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. march — the month
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. march — the month
  23. last — to go on
  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