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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: pass · season · cue · bark · capital · cell · bank · hide

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. cue — a hint
  7. capital — money
  8. season — in sport
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. cell — a phone
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. season — of the year
  14. bank — for money
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cue — for pool
  17. pass — a permit
  18. bark — to shout
  19. capital — a city
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bank — for money
  23. cell — in biology
  24. hide — to keep secret

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