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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: rush · season · march · bank · bowl · leaves · coach · wind

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. bank — for money
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. season — of the year
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bank — for money
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — hurry
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. season — in sport
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bowl — to roll

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