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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. mine — for digging
  3. can — a tin
  4. spell — a short time
  5. season — of the year
  6. spell — letters
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. spring — of water
  10. rest — what's left
  11. spring — a coil
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — to be able to
  14. rest — a break
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. season — in sport
  17. suit — to fit
  18. rest — what's left
  19. suit — clothes
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. spring — the season
  23. spell — magic
  24. plane — 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