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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: present · spring · lean · march · staff · leaves · bank · saw

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. staff — employees
  3. spring — a coil
  4. saw — the tool
  5. march — the month
  6. lean — thin
  7. march — the month
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. spring — of water
  11. bank — for money
  12. march — music
  13. staff — a stick
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. present — a gift
  16. present — the time now
  17. staff — employees
  18. spring — the season
  19. lean — to bend
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. present — there
  22. bank — for money
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. bank — of a river

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