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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: board · season · kick · court · race · spring · bank · nail

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. spring — the season
  3. bank — for money
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. race — the arms race
  8. board — to get on
  9. court — for sport
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. board — a committee
  13. race — humankind
  14. court — of a king
  15. race — a contest
  16. season — of the year
  17. kick — in football
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. spring — a coil
  20. spring — of water
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — of a river
  23. court — of law
  24. nail — for a hammer

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