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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 120 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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. march — the month
  3. cap — a lid
  4. stock — shares
  5. march — music
  6. season — in sport
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — for light
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. march — the month
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. spring — of water
  17. stock — goods
  18. cap — of ice
  19. season — of the year
  20. cap — a hat
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. snap — to click
  24. leaves — lets stay

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