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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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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 · tear · bank · safe · board · chest · kick · spring

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. kick — in football
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. spring — a coil
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. bank — for money
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. season — of the year
  11. chest — of your body
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. board — a committee
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. board — to get on
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. chest — of your body
  18. spring — of water
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — of a river
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. chest — a box
  23. season — in sport
  24. spring — the season

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