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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 120 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: wind · pass · rock · season · spring · mark · chair · pitcher

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mark — a trace
  4. wind — moving air
  5. spring — a coil
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a leader
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. pass — a permit
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. rock — music
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. rock — a stone
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — of the year
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. spring — of water
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pitcher — a jug

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