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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. march — the month
  4. suit — clothes
  5. present — the time now
  6. bulb — for light
  7. present — a gift
  8. present — there
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. march — the month
  13. spring — of water
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bulb — for light
  16. spring — the season
  17. hand — help
  18. spring — a coil
  19. suit — to fit
  20. hand — in cards
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — in sport
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. suit — in cards

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