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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: branch · racket · season · row · toast · hand · root · bound

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bound — tied together
  3. root — of a plant
  4. row — a line
  5. row — to paddle
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. hand — help
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. root — of a word
  11. season — of the year
  12. root — the cause
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. bound — certain
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. toast — bread
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. bound — obliged
  21. season — in sport
  22. hand — in cards
  23. branch — a division
  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