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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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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: kid · can · field · present · spring · spell · toast · stick

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. spring — the season
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. spring — a coil
  5. field — for sport
  6. present — the time now
  7. field — farmland
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. can — a tin
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. spring — of water
  12. toast — bread
  13. field — a subject
  14. spell — letters
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — child
  17. can — to be able to
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. present — there
  20. spell — magic
  21. spell — a short time
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. present — a gift
  24. toast — the most admired

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