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

Word bank: game · bank · chair · cold · wave · stick · season · craft

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. season — of the year
  3. craft — a skill
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. bank — for money
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. cold — an illness
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. game — a match
  13. craft — boats
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. chair — a leader
  17. game — wild animals
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bank — for money
  20. season — in sport
  21. cold — not warm
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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