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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 120 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: season · bay · hide · tube · spring · bear · bulb · field

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. spring — the season
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. tube — a container
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. season — in sport
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. field — a subject
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bear — the animal
  19. spring — of water
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — farmland
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. spring — a coil

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