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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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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: stand · present · cap · bowl · kid · fall · spring · season

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — of the year
  3. cap — a lid
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. kid — to tease
  6. cap — a hat
  7. fall — the season
  8. present — the time now
  9. cap — of ice
  10. present — there
  11. stand — to bear
  12. spring — a coil
  13. spring — of water
  14. kid — child
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. spring — the season
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. season — in sport
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. present — a gift
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bowl — a dish

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