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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 120 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: cap · nail · fine · cold · spring · pound · season · plane

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. spring — the season
  4. cap — a hat
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cap — of ice
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. spring — a coil
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. pound — a weight
  12. spring — of water
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. fine — all right
  21. season — in sport
  22. fine — high quality
  23. plane — a tool
  24. pound — to hit hard

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