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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.

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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: season · stem · band · spring · track · perch · bank · bass

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. bank — for money
  5. bass — the fish
  6. season — in sport
  7. spring — of water
  8. season — of the year
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. track — a song
  11. track — a path
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. band — a ring
  16. track — to keep track
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. stem — to come from
  19. bass — low music
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. spring — the season
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bank — for money
  24. bank — of a river

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