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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 · jam · bore · chair · lie · season · arm · lean

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bore — to drill
  5. spell — magic
  6. lie — to recline
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lean — thin
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. season — in sport
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. chair — a leader
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — letters
  23. bore — to tire
  24. jam — a tight spot

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