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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: dip · leaves · bowl · spell · fan · wake · bound · mine

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bound — certain
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. wake — a trail
  7. spell — a short time
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bound — obliged
  10. spell — magic
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. spell — letters
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. dip — to sink
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. bound — tied together

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