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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. cap — a hat
  4. present — there
  5. march — music
  6. file — a document
  7. cap — a lid
  8. spring — a coil
  9. land — ground
  10. present — the time now
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. file — a line of people
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. file — a tool
  15. branch — a division
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. pass — a permit
  18. present — a gift
  19. cap — of ice
  20. land — to come down
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. spring — of water
  24. land — a country

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