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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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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — in sport
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. bank — of a river
  6. degree — an amount
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — for paper
  9. cell — in biology
  10. plane — a tool
  11. clip — to cut
  12. mate — to breed
  13. bank — for money
  14. degree — temperature
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. degree — from a university
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. bank — for money
  22. mate — a friend
  23. cell — a phone
  24. mate — a partner

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