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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: net · board · calf · chest · bank · season · track · last

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. track — a song
  3. bank — for money
  4. net — in sport
  5. bank — for money
  6. net — for catching
  7. chest — of your body
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. chest — of your body
  10. season — in sport
  11. chest — a box
  12. last — to go on
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. net — after costs
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. board — to get on
  17. last — final
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. season — of the year
  20. track — to keep track
  21. track — a path
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. last — finally
  24. board — a committee

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