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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. net — for catching
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. spring — of water
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. bass — the fish
  9. net — after costs
  10. squash — to crush
  11. spring — a coil
  12. squash — the sport
  13. net — in sport
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bass — low music
  18. snap — to click

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