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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: spring · hand · season · foot · wind · wave · fork · bass

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bass — low music
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. spring — the season
  9. wind — moving air
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wind — moving air
  14. hand — help
  15. foot — a measure
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. fork — in a road
  19. season — of the year
  20. spring — of water
  21. season — in sport
  22. bass — the fish
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. fork — to eat with

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