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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: straw · bear · kick · spring · season · can · ball · branch

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. branch — a division
  3. can — to be able to
  4. ball — a dance
  5. bear — the animal
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. spring — of water
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. can — a tin
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. can — a tin
  16. kick — in football
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — in sport
  20. spring — the season
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bear — the animal
  23. ball — a great time
  24. spring — a coil

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