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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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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. spring — of water
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. suit — in cards
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cell — in biology
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. spring — a coil
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. spell — letters
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. band — a ring
  15. suit — clothes
  16. spell — a short time
  17. plane — a tool
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. suit — to fit
  23. band — a music group
  24. spring — the season

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