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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. net — for catching
  3. spring — a coil
  4. tube — the underground
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — after costs
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — in cards
  9. club — for golf
  10. tube — a container
  11. hand — help
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. spring — of water
  14. club — for dancing
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. season — in sport
  17. suit — in cards
  18. suit — to fit
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — of the year
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. club — a group
  24. suit — clothes

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