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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: race · mug · roll · branch · cue · kick · spring · season

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. season — in sport
  4. roll — a list
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. mug — a face
  7. season — of the year
  8. branch — a division
  9. mug — a cup
  10. cue — a hint
  11. race — humankind
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. kick — in football
  15. cue — for pool
  16. roll — a cake
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spring — of water
  20. race — the arms race
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. mug — to rob
  23. race — a contest
  24. cue — a signal

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