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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — of the year
  5. spring — the season
  6. bore — to drill
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. spring — a coil
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. bore — to tire
  12. craft — a skill
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — to tease
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. craft — boats
  19. saw — the tool
  20. kid — child
  21. ground — crushed
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — the earth

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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