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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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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 · fine · leaves · tear · mate · bulb · game · hand

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. hand — help
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. mate — to breed
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — wild animals
  9. spring — the season
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. tear — to rip
  12. fine — high quality
  13. tear — from crying
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mate — a partner
  16. game — a match
  17. hand — in cards
  18. fine — all right
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. spring — a coil
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — for light
  24. spring — of water

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