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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 116 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: march · leaves · spring · cap · season · wound · board · net

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. wound — an injury
  3. net — for catching
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. march — music
  6. net — after costs
  7. march — the month
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. cap — of ice
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. season — in sport
  13. net — in sport
  14. cap — a hat
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — the season
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. board — a committee
  20. cap — a lid
  21. march — the month
  22. spring — a coil
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. board — to get on

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