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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 116 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: spring · root · ball · trunk · bound · kid · bank · season

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bank — for money
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. kid — child
  5. bound — obliged
  6. root — of a word
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. bound — tied together
  10. kid — to tease
  11. ball — a great time
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. season — in sport
  14. root — the cause
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — of water
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. root — of a plant
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. bank — of a river
  21. season — of the year
  22. ball — a dance
  23. bank — for money
  24. bound — certain

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