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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: degree · lean · spell · last · bay · kid · leaves · season

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. spell — letters
  3. season — of the year
  4. spell — magic
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. kid — child
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. degree — an amount
  10. spell — a short time
  11. lean — to bend
  12. last — final
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — finally
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. degree — temperature
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. kid — to tease
  19. degree — from a university
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. season — in sport
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. lean — thin

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