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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: board · stick · bass · season · wake · wound · mate · bank

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. mate — a partner
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bass — low music
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. board — to get on
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bank — for money
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. board — a committee
  14. wake — a trail
  15. mate — a friend
  16. bass — the fish
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. mate — to breed

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