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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — in sport
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. spring — the season
  5. bound — obliged
  6. spring — a coil
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. squash — the sport
  10. season — of the year
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. bound — tied together
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. spring — of water
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. stand — to bear
  21. plane — a tool
  22. bound — certain
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. squash — to crush

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