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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bound — tied together
  3. squash — to crush
  4. squash — the sport
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. spring — the season
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. spring — of water
  12. bound — certain
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. spring — a coil
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — hasty
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. bound — obliged
  24. season — in sport

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