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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: march · cold · rock · bear · spring · season · deal · plane

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. deal — to handle
  5. spring — a coil
  6. march — the month
  7. spring — the season
  8. season — of the year
  9. cold — an illness
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. march — the month
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. march — music
  15. spring — of water
  16. bear — the animal
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. season — in sport
  19. rock — music
  20. plane — a tool
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. cold — not warm
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rock — a stone

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