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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. fork — in a road
  3. squash — the sport
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. last — finally
  6. squash — to crush
  7. spring — the season
  8. season — in sport
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — for light
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. wound — an injury
  18. last — to go on
  19. season — of the year
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. last — final
  24. spring — of water

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