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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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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: season · pitcher · land · staff · wave · spring · bank · racket

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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. staff — employees
  4. staff — employees
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. spring — of water
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. bank — for money
  12. land — a country
  13. spring — a coil
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. land — ground
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. staff — a stick
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. land — to come down
  21. bank — of a river
  22. season — of the year
  23. bank — for money
  24. wave — with your hand

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