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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bank — for money
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. band — a ring
  9. fall — the season
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bank — for money
  12. kick — in football
  13. fall — to drop
  14. tube — a container
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. tube — the underground
  17. season — in sport
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. bat — the animal
  20. band — a music group
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bank — of a river

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