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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: bowl · bass · bore · spring · rush · bank · hand · leaves

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bore — to drill
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. rush — hurry
  9. spring — a coil
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. hand — help
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bass — low music
  16. bank — of a river
  17. hand — in cards
  18. spring — of water
  19. bank — for money
  20. spring — the season
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bank — for money
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. rush — a thrill

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