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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. season — of the year
  3. face — to point toward
  4. saw — the tool
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — goods
  9. deal — to handle
  10. season — in sport
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. spring — of water
  15. face — to confront
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. face — part of the head
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. saw — the tool
  22. spring — a coil
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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