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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 · mark · hand · branch · band · mug · racket · rush

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. hand — in cards
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. season — in sport
  6. mug — a face
  7. band — a ring
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. season — of the year
  10. mug — to rob
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. mug — a cup
  13. band — a music group
  14. rush — hurry
  15. hand — help
  16. mark — a trace
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. mark — a grade
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — a division
  24. racket — a loud noise

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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