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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. field — farmland
  3. bulb — for light
  4. mine — for digging
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. season — in sport
  7. bulb — for light
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. spell — letters
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. stock — goods
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — a short time
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — shares
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. field — for sport
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. field — a subject
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. fan — a supporter

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