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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. season — of the year
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — in cards
  7. face — to confront
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. spell — letters
  13. bulb — for light
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. hand — help
  16. spell — magic
  17. face — to point toward
  18. season — in sport
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wake — a trail
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. bulb — for light
  24. face — part of the head

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