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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 · stick · staff · season · squash · club · foot · spring

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. season — in sport
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. staff — employees
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. staff — employees
  7. rest — what's left
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — of water
  11. foot — a measure
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — of the year
  14. club — for golf
  15. squash — to crush
  16. club — for dancing
  17. club — a group
  18. staff — a stick
  19. rest — what's left
  20. squash — the sport
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. rest — a break
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. foot — the bottom

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