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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: season · mug · mine · object · ground · bear · suit · leaves

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. mug — a face
  3. suit — in cards
  4. bear — the animal
  5. season — in sport
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mug — to rob
  9. object — a thing
  10. ground — a position
  11. suit — clothes
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. ground — crushed
  15. object — an aim
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bear — the animal
  19. ground — the earth
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. suit — to fit
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. object — to protest

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