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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: object · race · spring · fall · bear · mine · march · craft

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. mine — for digging
  4. object — a thing
  5. bear — the animal
  6. object — an aim
  7. march — the month
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. march — the month
  10. race — a contest
  11. race — humankind
  12. march — music
  13. spring — of water
  14. craft — a skill
  15. craft — boats
  16. spring — a coil
  17. fall — the season
  18. bear — the animal
  19. object — to protest
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. fall — to drop
  22. race — the arms race
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bear — to put up with

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