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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. season — in sport
  4. spring — the season
  5. roll — a list
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. squash — the sport
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. suit — in cards
  11. spell — a short time
  12. suit — clothes
  13. saw — the tool
  14. squash — to crush
  15. season — of the year
  16. roll — a cake
  17. saw — the tool
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. spring — of water
  20. wind — moving air
  21. suit — to fit
  22. spell — letters
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. spell — magic

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