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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: season · bulb · content · jam · stand · bark · fork · spring

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bulb — for light
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. spring — of water
  6. fork — in a road
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. content — happy
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. stand — to bear
  11. bulb — for light
  12. content — the amount
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. spring — a coil
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. spring — the season
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. season — in sport
  24. bark — to shout

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