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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: plane · field · spring · ground · season · present · spell · bulb

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. spring — of water
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — for light
  6. present — there
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — a short time
  9. ground — a position
  10. present — a gift
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — a subject
  13. field — for sport
  14. season — in sport
  15. spring — the season
  16. plane — a tool
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — of the year
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. present — the time now
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. spell — magic
  23. ground — crushed
  24. ground — the earth

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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