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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: branch · season · bass · staff · track · last · toast · calf

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. season — of the year
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. staff — employees
  6. staff — employees
  7. track — a song
  8. toast — bread
  9. bass — low music
  10. track — to keep track
  11. last — to go on
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. staff — a stick
  15. branch — a division
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. last — final
  19. last — finally
  20. season — in sport
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bass — the fish

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