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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: club · branch · bore · wax · season · pass · capital · racket

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. pass — a permit
  4. season — in sport
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. bore — to drill
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. club — for dancing
  11. club — a group
  12. wax — to grow
  13. club — for golf
  14. capital — a city
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. capital — money
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. branch — a division
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bore — to tire

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