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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. spring — of water
  5. object — to protest
  6. season — of the year
  7. object — an aim
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. can — a tin
  10. object — a thing
  11. can — to be able to
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. spring — a coil
  14. can — a tin
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. spell — a short time
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — magic
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. season — in sport
  24. shower — to wash

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