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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. firm — decided
  4. bear — the animal
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. scale — in music
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — the season
  9. rush — hurry
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. field — a subject
  12. scale — size or range
  13. spring — a coil
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — farmland
  20. firm — steady
  21. bear — the animal
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. pound — a weight
  24. firm — a company

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