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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: dip · sharp · spring · leaves · mark · pitch · rest · season

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. dip — to sink
  4. mark — a grade
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — of the year
  7. rest — what's left
  8. spring — of water
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — clever
  17. rest — what's left
  18. spring — a coil
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. mark — a trace
  21. season — in sport
  22. rest — a break
  23. pitch — completely
  24. dip — to dunk

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