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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. spring — the season
  3. cap — a hat
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bass — low music
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. bass — the fish
  11. cap — of ice
  12. wound — an injury
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. wound — an injury
  17. spring — a coil
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. cap — a lid
  22. stand — to bear
  23. plane — a tool
  24. leaves — lets stay

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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