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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: spring · season · club · mate · arm · rash · ruler · land

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — to breed
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. season — in sport
  6. club — for golf
  7. land — to come down
  8. spring — of water
  9. land — ground
  10. season — of the year
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. spring — a coil
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. rash — hasty
  17. mate — a friend
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. land — a country
  21. spring — the season
  22. rash — a series
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. club — for dancing

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