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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — in sport
  5. bank — for money
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. last — finally
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. ground — crushed
  10. ground — a position
  11. bank — of a river
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. rock — a stone
  14. bulb — for light
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bulb — for light
  17. last — to go on
  18. wound — an injury
  19. last — final
  20. ground — the earth
  21. rock — music
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bank — for money
  24. rock — to move gently

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