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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
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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: fan · field · band · hide · season · pitcher · cap · spring

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. spring — a coil
  3. season — of the year
  4. field — farmland
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. field — a subject
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. band — a music group
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. field — for sport
  12. cap — a lid
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. season — in sport
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. band — a ring
  17. cap — of ice
  18. spring — of water
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. spring — the season
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. cap — a hat

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