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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. season — of the year
  5. shower — to wash
  6. kid — to tease
  7. suit — to fit
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. spring — a coil
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. suit — clothes
  14. suit — in cards
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. kid — child
  17. shower — rain
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. spring — of water
  21. season — in sport
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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