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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. bulb — for light
  4. spring — of water
  5. land — ground
  6. field — a subject
  7. bulb — for light
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. bear — the animal
  11. shower — rain
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. land — a country
  14. land — to come down
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — farmland
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. spring — a coil
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bear — the animal
  22. shower — to wash
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. hide — animal skin

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