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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: hand · leaves · season · mug · degree · branch · march · trunk

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. season — in sport
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. mug — a cup
  6. branch — a division
  7. march — the month
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. march — the month
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — from a university
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. march — music
  15. mug — a face
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. hand — in cards
  18. mug — to rob
  19. degree — temperature
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. hand — help

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