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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. band — a ring
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. band — a music group
  6. saw — the tool
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. mate — to breed
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. mate — a friend
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rush — hurry
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. spring — a coil
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. mate — a partner
  24. spring — of water

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