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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: date · face · spring · bay · cap · season · staff · craft

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. spring — a coil
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. spring — the season
  6. season — in sport
  7. cap — a hat
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. face — part of the head
  10. craft — a skill
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. spring — of water
  13. cap — of ice
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. face — to point toward
  16. craft — boats
  17. cap — a lid
  18. staff — a stick
  19. date — the fruit
  20. staff — employees
  21. face — to confront
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. staff — employees
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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