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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: bat · kick · bank · rest · root · race · hand · season

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bank — of a river
  4. root — the cause
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. season — in sport
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — help
  9. root — of a word
  10. rest — a break
  11. bat — the animal
  12. hand — in cards
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. race — humankind
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bank — for money
  18. race — a contest
  19. root — of a plant
  20. kick — in football
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. race — the arms race
  24. rest — what's left

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