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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: squash · nail · season · degree · snap · rash · spring · bank

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. degree — temperature
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — of a river
  7. squash — the sport
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. spring — of water
  10. degree — an amount
  11. snap — to click
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. squash — to crush
  14. season — of the year
  15. degree — from a university
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. season — in sport
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. spring — the season
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rash — a series

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