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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 124 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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. land — ground
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. firm — steady
  7. bass — the fish
  8. land — to come down
  9. scale — size or range
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. firm — a company
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. field — a subject
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spring — of water
  17. firm — decided
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. scale — in music
  20. bass — low music
  21. field — farmland
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. land — a country
  24. field — for 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