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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: rest · pitch · degree · season · branch · bank · wake · toast

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. degree — an amount
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. pitch — completely
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bank — for money
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. rest — what's left
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bank — for money
  17. degree — from a university
  18. degree — temperature
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — in sport
  21. toast — bread
  22. branch — a division
  23. rest — a break
  24. bank — of a river

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