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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
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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: bay · bear · staff · bark · season · mine · squash · spring

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. staff — employees
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — for digging
  5. spring — a coil
  6. season — of the year
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — the sport
  9. bear — the animal
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. squash — to crush
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. staff — employees
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. staff — a stick
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. spring — of water
  23. season — in sport
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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