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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.

Make a worksheet

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: mark · season · spring · pitcher · wind · march · mouse · rest

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spring — a coil
  3. season — in sport
  4. mark — a grade
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. rest — what's left
  7. mark — a trace
  8. march — music
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. march — the month
  11. season — of the year
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — moving air
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. march — the month
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. rest — a break
  24. spring — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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