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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bear — the animal
  6. season — of the year
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. sharp — clever
  10. wind — moving air
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. bear — the animal
  15. fine — high quality
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. spring — a coil
  19. fine — all right
  20. spring — the season
  21. wind — moving air
  22. season — in sport
  23. spring — of water
  24. season — to add flavour

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