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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: season · staff · branch · craft · patient · last · pop · snap

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. last — to go on
  3. season — of the year
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. snap — to click
  6. pop — music
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. last — finally
  9. season — in sport
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. staff — employees
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. pop — to visit
  14. craft — a skill
  15. pop — soda
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. branch — a division
  18. staff — employees
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. last — final
  21. craft — boats
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. patient — a sick person

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