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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.

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: cell · branch · mark · mate · mine · squash · season · bass

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mate — a friend
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — of the year
  7. squash — the sport
  8. cell — in biology
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. branch — a division
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bass — low music
  19. squash — to crush
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. mark — a grade
  24. squash — the vegetable

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