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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: foot · season · club · wind · bore · hide · cell · branch

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. branch — a division
  7. season — in sport
  8. bore — to tire
  9. wind — moving air
  10. foot — a measure
  11. cell — in biology
  12. club — for golf
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. season — of the year
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. cell — a phone
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. club — for dancing
  19. wind — moving air
  20. club — a group
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bore — to drill

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