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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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Word bank
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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. spring — the season
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. present — a gift
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. wind — moving air
  10. spring — a coil
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. pitch — completely
  13. wind — moving air
  14. present — there
  15. band — a music group
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. present — the time now
  18. spring — of water
  19. band — a ring
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. leaves — to go away

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