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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ball · kick · branch · season · pop · bat · spring · can

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. spring — the season
  3. can — a tin
  4. pop — soda
  5. branch — a division
  6. ball — a great time
  7. bat — the animal
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. spring — a coil
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. spring — of water
  12. pop — music
  13. pop — to visit
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. kick — in football
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. can — to be able to
  22. season — in sport
  23. can — a tin
  24. season — of the year

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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