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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: bat · leaves · mine · bank · march · staff · season · present

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. march — the month
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. march — music
  5. present — a gift
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bank — for money
  9. march — the month
  10. mine — for digging
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — of the year
  15. present — there
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bank — of a river
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. staff — employees
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. staff — employees
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. present — the time now
  24. staff — a stick

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