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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. march — music
  3. spring — of water
  4. march — the month
  5. saw — the tool
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. season — in sport
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. spring — a coil
  13. branch — a division
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. spring — the season
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. season — of the year
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. sharp — clever
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. march — the month

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