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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: bay · racket · fork · hide · season · band · pit · bulb

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. band — a ring
  3. pit — a hole
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. pit — in a race
  6. season — in sport
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bulb — for light
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bulb — for light
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. fork — in a road
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. band — a music group
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. season — of the year

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