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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. march — the month
  3. file — a document
  4. march — the month
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. suit — in cards
  10. roll — a cake
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. march — music
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. plane — a tool
  17. suit — clothes
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. file — a tool
  21. file — a line of people
  22. suit — to fit
  23. roll — a list
  24. plane — an aircraft

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