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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
468
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: rock · season · land · fan · sharp · row · spring · plane

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. land — to come down
  3. spring — a coil
  4. plane — a tool
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. land — a country
  8. season — of the year
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — clever
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. spring — the season
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. rock — a stone
  19. row — to paddle
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. land — ground
  22. row — a line
  23. season — in sport
  24. rock — music

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