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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 120 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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spring — of water
  3. bass — low music
  4. march — the month
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. fork — in a road
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. staff — employees
  9. hand — help
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. mark — a grade
  12. mark — a trace
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. staff — a stick
  15. staff — employees
  16. march — music
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. march — the month
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. bass — the fish
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. spring — a coil
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. hand — in cards

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