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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: tear · bowl · spell · season · spring · mug · hide · fall

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. season — in sport
  4. mug — to rob
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. mug — a cup
  9. tear — to rip
  10. spring — the season
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — to drop
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. tear — from crying
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. mug — a face
  19. spring — of water
  20. fall — the season
  21. season — of the year
  22. spell — letters
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bowl — a dish

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