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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.

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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: spring · hand · present · bass · last · safe · spell · fall

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. hand — help
  3. spring — the season
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spell — magic
  6. bass — the fish
  7. last — final
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. fall — to drop
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. bass — low music
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. fall — the season
  15. present — there
  16. spring — a coil
  17. present — a gift
  18. fall — to drop
  19. last — to go on
  20. spring — of water
  21. present — the time now
  22. hand — in cards
  23. spell — letters
  24. last — finally

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