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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 120 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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. field — a subject
  4. bank — of a river
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. spring — a coil
  8. field — for sport
  9. spring — of water
  10. net — in sport
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — for money
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — of the year
  15. field — farmland
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — after costs
  18. hide — to keep secret

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