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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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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 · racket · club · hand · season · face · nail · pit

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. club — for golf
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. club — a group
  12. club — for dancing
  13. hand — in cards
  14. season — of the year
  15. pit — in a race
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. branch — a division
  18. season — in sport
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. pit — a hole
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to point toward
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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