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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.

Make a worksheet

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: bear · cap · spring · bass · last · field

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — farmland
  4. spring — the season
  5. cap — a hat
  6. bear — the animal
  7. field — a subject
  8. cap — of ice
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bass — low music
  12. spring — of water
  13. last — to go on
  14. bass — the fish
  15. cap — a lid
  16. bear — the animal
  17. last — final
  18. last — finally

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