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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bank · spell · mine · tube · season · pitcher · spring · perch

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. spell — letters
  3. bank — of a river
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. spell — a short time
  7. mine — for digging
  8. spring — the season
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. season — in sport
  11. bank — for money
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bank — for money
  15. tube — a container
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. spring — of water
  19. season — of the year
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. spell — magic
  24. spring — a coil

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