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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitch — completely
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. tear — to rip
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. wound — an injury
  11. spring — the season
  12. tear — from crying
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. tear — from crying
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. spring — of water

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