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

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. fall — to drop
  3. present — the time now
  4. spring — a coil
  5. file — a document
  6. spring — of water
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — the underground
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. file — a line of people
  12. season — in sport
  13. fall — to drop
  14. present — there
  15. spring — the season
  16. fall — the season
  17. present — a gift
  18. file — a tool

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