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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: season · stand · craft · spell · branch · net · wind · pitcher

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. craft — a skill
  3. spell — a short time
  4. wind — moving air
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. spell — letters
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. craft — boats
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. net — in sport
  14. stand — to bear
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — of the year
  17. net — for catching
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. net — after costs
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. wind — to turn a key

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