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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bulb — for light
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. present — a gift
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — a coil
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a ring
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. chip — for betting
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. bulb — for light
  17. present — there
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. present — the time now
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. stand — to bear
  23. chip — to eat
  24. kick — in football

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