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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.

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: cell · spell · hand · rush · trunk · fine · bat · plane

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. bat — the animal
  4. spell — a short time
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. cell — in biology
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. hand — help
  12. rush — hurry
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. plane — a tool
  15. fine — high quality
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. spell — letters
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. fine — all right
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. cell — a phone

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