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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.

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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: staff · march · season · plane · lean · cold · pit · bank

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. lean — to bend
  4. march — the month
  5. pit — a hole
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — employees
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. season — in sport
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. pit — in a race
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — not warm
  15. bank — for money
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. bank — for money
  19. plane — a tool
  20. staff — a stick
  21. lean — thin
  22. march — music
  23. season — of the year
  24. march — the month

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