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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: sharp · season · bank · mark · branch · date · kid · rest

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bank — of a river
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. branch — a division
  6. rest — what's left
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. rest — what's left
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. rest — a break
  13. kid — to tease
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mark — a grade
  18. bank — for money
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — clever
  21. season — in sport
  22. bank — for money
  23. kid — child
  24. date — the fruit

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