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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 · stock · ball · season · hand · pit · shower · craft

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. pit — in a race
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. craft — boats
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — goods
  9. hand — in cards
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. craft — a skill
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. ball — a dance
  15. shower — to wash
  16. ball — a great time
  17. hand — help
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. shower — rain
  20. branch — a division
  21. season — in sport
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. pit — a hole
  24. season — of the year

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