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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: game · branch · season · pop · rest · chest · last · rush

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  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. branch — a division
  2. rest — what's left
  3. chest — of your body
  4. pop — soda
  5. game — a match
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. last — finally
  8. rest — a break
  9. season — of the year
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. pop — music
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. chest — of your body
  15. last — to go on
  16. rush — hurry
  17. season — in sport
  18. last — final
  19. rest — what's left
  20. pop — to visit
  21. chest — a box
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. game — wild animals
  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