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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 120 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 · hand · tube · racket · bank · bass · nail · rest

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. season — of the year
  3. bass — low music
  4. bank — of a river
  5. rest — what's left
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. hand — help
  9. tube — a container
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. rest — a break
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bass — the fish
  16. rest — what's left
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. hand — in cards
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. season — in sport
  23. bank — for money
  24. bass — the instrument

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