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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. spring — the season
  3. season — in sport
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. bank — of a river
  6. net — after costs
  7. present — there
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. spring — a coil
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — for sport
  12. spring — of water
  13. season — of the year
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — for money
  16. chip — for betting
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. present — the time now
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. field — a subject
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — in sport
  24. chip — to eat

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