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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: wound · trunk · hand · pass · suit · bear · season · spell

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. wound — an injury
  3. spell — letters
  4. spell — magic
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. bear — the animal
  7. wound — an injury
  8. spell — a short time
  9. season — of the year
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. hand — help
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. pass — a permit
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. suit — clothes
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. suit — to fit
  20. suit — in cards
  21. hand — in cards
  22. season — in sport
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. pass — to spend time

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