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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. mate — to breed
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. spring — a coil
  6. band — a ring
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. track — a song
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bass — the fish
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. fork — in a road
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. track — to keep track
  15. spring — the season
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bass — low music
  20. mate — a friend
  21. track — a path
  22. mate — a partner
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bass — the instrument

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