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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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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: wave · jam · march · ground · spring · stick · season · game

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. season — of the year
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. spring — the season
  5. march — the month
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. game — a match
  9. ground — crushed
  10. march — the month
  11. spring — of water
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. ground — a position
  14. ground — the earth
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. march — music
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. spring — a coil
  21. season — in sport
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. game — a kind of play

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