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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 116 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: season · chair · net · pop · spring · scale · bear · suit

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. net — after costs
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. bear — the animal
  7. net — for catching
  8. suit — clothes
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. pop — soda
  11. suit — to fit
  12. season — in sport
  13. net — in sport
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. pop — to visit
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. season — of the year
  18. pop — music
  19. scale — in music
  20. bear — the animal
  21. spring — the season
  22. scale — size or range
  23. spring — of water
  24. suit — in cards

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