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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. spring — of water
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. foot — a measure
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. spring — the season
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — farmland
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. season — of the year
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. toast — bread
  19. spring — a coil
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. field — for sport
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. foot — the bottom

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