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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.

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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: deal · vault · season · mate · branch · calf · leaves · rush

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. branch — a division
  3. season — of the year
  4. rush — hurry
  5. season — in sport
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. vault — a safe
  21. mate — to breed
  22. deal — to handle
  23. mate — a friend
  24. deal — a big deal

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