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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: season · bank · press · leaves · row · scale · bat · rush

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. season — in sport
  3. press — newspapers
  4. row — to paddle
  5. scale — in music
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. scale — size or range
  10. press — a publisher
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bank — for money
  16. rush — hurry
  17. row — a line
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bat — the animal
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. season — of the year
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. press — to push
  24. bank — for money

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