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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
468
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: pit · rule · season · mate · leaves · spring · fan · cell

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. spring — of water
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. cell — in biology
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. mate — to breed
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. spring — the season
  11. mate — a friend
  12. pit — a hole
  13. cell — a phone
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. mate — a partner
  16. spring — a coil
  17. season — in sport
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. season — of the year
  21. rule — government
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. pit — in a race
  24. rule — a law

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