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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. spring — of water
  4. mate — a partner
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. can — a tin
  9. scale — in music
  10. can — to be able to
  11. season — of the year
  12. tear — from crying
  13. can — a tin
  14. tear — from crying
  15. fork — in a road
  16. season — in sport
  17. mate — to breed
  18. scale — size or range
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. tear — to rip
  22. spring — a coil
  23. mate — a friend
  24. fork — to eat with

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