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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 120 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: spring · cap · wound · wave · season · bay · bulb · kid

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. spring — the season
  3. kid — child
  4. wound — an injury
  5. spring — of water
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. season — in sport
  8. cap — of ice
  9. spring — a coil
  10. cap — a lid
  11. kid — to tease
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. season — of the year
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cap — a hat
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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