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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 · last · court · wake · bass · drill · snap · season

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. bass — the fish
  4. last — final
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. last — to go on
  7. season — in sport
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. drill — army training
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. bass — low music
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. court — of law
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. court — for sport
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. last — finally
  20. branch — a division
  21. court — of a king
  22. wake — a trail
  23. snap — to click
  24. drill — the tool

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