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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
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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: stand · spring · spell · rock · bark · kick · wake · season

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. spell — magic
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — a trail
  6. spring — of water
  7. spell — a short time
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. spring — the season
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. rock — music
  15. kick — in football
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — of the year
  18. bark — to shout
  19. spring — a coil
  20. rock — a stone
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. spell — letters
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. season — in sport

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