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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: trunk · spring · mine · pitcher · hide · net · cap · bear

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. net — for catching
  3. spring — the season
  4. mine — for digging
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. spring — of water
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. net — after costs
  12. cap — of ice
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. cap — a hat
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bear — the animal
  20. cap — a lid
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. net — in sport
  24. bear — the animal

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