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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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Word bank
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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bear — the animal
  5. fine — high quality
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. dip — to sink
  8. spring — a coil
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. season — of the year
  11. scale — size or range
  12. spring — the season
  13. fine — all right
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. season — in sport
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. bear — the animal
  23. scale — in music
  24. season — to add flavour

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