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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: ball · hide · cabinet · prune · face · spell · bay · cell

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. ball — a dance
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. face — part of the head
  6. cell — in biology
  7. face — to point toward
  8. ball — a great time
  9. spell — letters
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. face — to confront
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. prune — to trim
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. spell — magic
  17. cell — a phone
  18. spell — a short time
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. prune — to trim

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