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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bass · spring · present · tube · season · branch · staff · game

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. branch — a division
  4. present — a gift
  5. spring — of water
  6. season — of the year
  7. present — the time now
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. staff — a stick
  10. spring — the season
  11. tube — a container
  12. staff — employees
  13. bass — the fish
  14. game — wild animals
  15. staff — employees
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. spring — a coil
  19. game — a match
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. present — there
  22. bass — low music
  23. tube — the underground
  24. branch — of a bank

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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