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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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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 · chair · spring · snap · present · leaves · mate · tear

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. present — a gift
  4. spring — a coil
  5. mate — to breed
  6. snap — to click
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. spring — the season
  9. chair — a leader
  10. mate — a friend
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. pit — a hole
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. tear — to rip
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. tear — from crying
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. tear — from crying
  19. spring — of water
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. present — there
  23. mate — a partner
  24. pit — in a race

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