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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bank — of a river
  4. season — of the year
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. band — a ring
  7. stem — to come from
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bank — for money
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. bass — the fish
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. pitch — completely
  19. bank — for money
  20. band — a music group
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. bass — low music

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