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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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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 · snap · bank · roll · season · kick · pound · leaves

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. kick — in football
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. roll — a cake
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. rest — what's left
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. rest — what's left
  14. season — of the year
  15. bank — for money
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. bank — for money
  18. roll — a list
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. rest — a break
  21. bank — of a river
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. pound — a weight
  24. season — in sport

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