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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. staff — a stick
  4. bat — the animal
  5. can — to be able to
  6. band — a ring
  7. shower — rain
  8. band — a music group
  9. shower — to wash
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. can — a tin
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. can — a tin
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. season — in sport
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — employees
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. season — to add flavour

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