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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bowl · hand · spring · straw · pass · net · bear · land

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. pass — a permit
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. net — in sport
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. land — ground
  11. bear — the animal
  12. hand — in cards
  13. net — after costs
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. land — a country
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. hand — help
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. net — for catching
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. spring — of water
  23. bear — the animal
  24. land — to come down

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