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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: kick · rush · season · face · clip · rock · bank · bass

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — in sport
  5. rock — music
  6. bank — of a river
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. kick — in football
  10. bank — for money
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. face — part of the head
  15. bass — the fish
  16. clip — a video
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. bank — for money
  19. clip — for paper
  20. face — to confront
  21. rock — a stone
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. bass — low music
  24. face — to point toward

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