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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spell — a short time
  3. rash — hasty
  4. spell — magic
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — of water
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. wind — moving air
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. court — of law
  15. court — of a king
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. court — for sport
  20. stand — to bear
  21. deal — to handle
  22. spell — letters
  23. rash — a series
  24. wind — moving air

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