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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: net · plane · mark · ruler · shower · season · spring · staff

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  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. ruler — for measuring
  3. net — after costs
  4. spring — a coil
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. staff — a stick
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — in sport
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. staff — employees
  13. shower — to wash
  14. plane — a tool
  15. mark — a trace
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. season — in sport
  18. season — of the year
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. shower — rain
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. staff — employees
  24. spring — of water

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