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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: suit · field · bank · current · spring · staff · season · stick

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. bank — for money
  3. field — a subject
  4. bank — of a river
  5. suit — in cards
  6. current — of water
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. suit — clothes
  9. current — electric
  10. staff — a stick
  11. field — for sport
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. staff — employees
  14. field — farmland
  15. staff — employees
  16. spring — of water
  17. bank — for money
  18. spring — the season
  19. season — of the year
  20. current — happening now
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. season — in sport
  23. spring — a coil
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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