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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fork · spring · season · kid · pass · pop

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. pop — to visit
  5. spring — a coil
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pop — music
  8. kid — to tease
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — the season
  12. pass — a permit
  13. season — in sport
  14. fork — in a road
  15. pop — soda
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. kid — child

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