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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 116 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 · spring · swing · last · cabinet · season · bear · patient

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. season — in sport
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. branch — a division
  5. swing — to play on
  6. last — final
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. bear — the animal
  9. swing — in golf
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. spring — the season
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. season — of the year
  18. last — finally
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. swing — music
  23. bear — the animal
  24. spring — of water

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