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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. band — a music group
  3. shower — to wash
  4. pitch — completely
  5. shower — rain
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. season — in sport
  8. wind — moving air
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bulb — for light
  12. band — a ring
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. spring — of water
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. season — of the year
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bulb — for light
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — to recline

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