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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: jam · court · file · tube · season · pitcher · bank · staff

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. bank — for money
  3. staff — employees
  4. bank — for money
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bank — of a river
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. court — of a king
  9. file — a tool
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. tube — a container
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. staff — employees
  14. file — a line of people
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. season — in sport
  17. staff — a stick
  18. court — for sport
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. file — a document
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — in a tire

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