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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: ball · land · toast · bear · snap · season · fork · saw

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. season — of the year
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. bear — the animal
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. saw — the tool
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. season — in sport
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. land — a country
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — ground
  15. snap — to click
  16. ball — a dance
  17. fork — in a road
  18. toast — bread
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. saw — the tool
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. ball — a great time
  23. bear — the animal
  24. season — to add flavour

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