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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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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — a position
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. cap — a hat
  5. ground — crushed
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fine — all right
  8. season — in sport
  9. plane — a tool
  10. spring — the season
  11. season — of the year
  12. spring — of water
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. spring — a coil
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. fine — high quality
  18. cap — of ice
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. cap — a lid
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. trunk — of a car

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