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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: rush · bank · cell · fan · hand · season · spell · tube

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. hand — help
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. hand — in cards
  8. spell — letters
  9. cell — in biology
  10. tube — a container
  11. bank — for money
  12. cell — a phone
  13. rush — hurry
  14. season — in sport
  15. spell — a short time
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bank — for money
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. bank — of a river
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. spell — magic
  24. tube — the underground

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