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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 · drill · season · bowl · spring · wound · file · present

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. object — a thing
  3. spring — of water
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. season — of the year
  6. wound — an injury
  7. object — an aim
  8. drill — the tool
  9. wound — an injury
  10. drill — army training
  11. object — to protest
  12. spring — a coil
  13. present — there
  14. drill — a practice
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. spring — the season
  19. present — the time now
  20. file — a document
  21. file — a line of people
  22. present — a gift
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. file — a tool

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