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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: bass · staff · spring · season · roll · file · dip · prune

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. roll — a cake
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. staff — a stick
  6. season — in sport
  7. file — a line of people
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. staff — employees
  10. season — of the year
  11. dip — to sink
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a document
  14. staff — employees
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. prune — to trim
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. bass — the fish
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. spring — of water
  22. roll — a list
  23. spring — a coil
  24. prune — to trim

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