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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

Word bank: hide · spell · pass · wound · field · roll · snap · hand

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — farmland
  6. spell — a short time
  7. roll — a list
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. wound — an injury
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. wound — an injury
  13. spell — letters
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. field — a subject
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. pass — a permit
  20. roll — a cake
  21. snap — to click
  22. spell — magic
  23. hand — help
  24. hide — to keep secret

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