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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 116 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 · spring · branch · bass · safe · nail · pitch · swing

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — in sport
  3. swing — in golf
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — of water
  6. branch — a division
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. spring — the season
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. pitch — completely
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. swing — to play on
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bass — the fish
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bass — low music
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. swing — music
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. branch — of a tree

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