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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: spell · wind · rock · lean · bowl · roll · kid · season

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — a stone
  5. season — in sport
  6. roll — a cake
  7. kid — child
  8. lean — to bend
  9. spell — magic
  10. wind — moving air
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. season — of the year
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. wind — moving air
  18. kid — to tease
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. spell — letters
  21. lean — thin
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. roll — a list

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