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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: season · staff · land · pass · trunk · suit · row · spring

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. suit — clothes
  3. row — a line
  4. season — in sport
  5. staff — employees
  6. spring — a coil
  7. land — a country
  8. row — to paddle
  9. land — ground
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. suit — in cards
  16. pass — a permit
  17. spring — the season
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. land — to come down
  21. suit — to fit
  22. staff — a stick
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. staff — employees

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