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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: spring · pound · season · row · staff · mate · pit · rush

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. staff — a stick
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — hurry
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pit — a hole
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. pound — a weight
  9. mate — a partner
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. mate — to breed
  12. season — in sport
  13. pit — in a race
  14. staff — employees
  15. season — of the year
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. mate — a friend
  18. spring — the season
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. spring — of water
  21. row — a line
  22. staff — employees
  23. row — to paddle
  24. spring — a coil

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