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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. net — in sport
  3. clip — for paper
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. clip — to cut
  6. spring — the season
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. net — for catching
  9. spring — of water
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bark — to shout
  14. rush — hurry
  15. pit — a hole
  16. season — in sport
  17. net — after costs
  18. spring — a coil
  19. clip — a video
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. pit — in a race
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. hide — animal skin

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