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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. row — to paddle
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. season — in sport
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mate — a partner
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. row — a line
  12. wind — moving air
  13. mate — a friend
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. field — a subject
  16. wind — moving air
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. wake — a trail
  19. bulb — for light
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. field — for sport
  22. bulb — for light
  23. field — farmland
  24. row — a quarrel

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