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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: rest · season · field · bark · present · key · bank · lash

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — of the year
  3. key — the most important part
  4. present — there
  5. field — farmland
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bark — to shout
  8. field — a subject
  9. key — for a lock
  10. rest — a break
  11. present — a gift
  12. key — in music
  13. present — the time now
  14. rest — what's left
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. field — for sport
  17. season — in sport
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. bank — for money
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bank — for money
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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