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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 120 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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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 · season · current · last · wake · hand · shower · nail

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. last — finally
  4. shower — to wash
  5. wake — a trail
  6. hand — in cards
  7. last — final
  8. last — to go on
  9. hand — help
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. shower — rain
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. branch — a division
  14. current — of water
  15. current — happening now
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. season — of the year
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. current — electric
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. season — in sport

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