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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 116 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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. spring — of water
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. bulb — for light
  10. season — in sport
  11. spring — the season
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. tear — from crying
  19. lie — to recline
  20. tear — from crying
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bass — low music
  24. tear — to rip

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