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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: leaves · kid · branch · staff · coach · season · racket · spring

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. spring — the season
  4. kid — child
  5. staff — a stick
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. season — in sport
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. spring — of water
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — employees
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. season — of the year
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. kid — to tease
  24. leaves — lets stay

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