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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: spring · dip · lash · fall · spell · season · wake · ground

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. season — in sport
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wake — a trail
  9. spring — of water
  10. spring — a coil
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. dip — to sink
  13. season — of the year
  14. fall — to drop
  15. ground — the earth
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. spell — a short time
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. ground — a position
  20. fall — the season
  21. ground — crushed
  22. spring — the season
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — letters

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