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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. saw — the tool
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. season — of the year
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — letters
  7. saw — the tool
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. scale — in music
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. scale — size or range
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. stem — to come from
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. spell — a short time
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. deal — to handle
  24. fan — to cool the 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