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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: wound · spell · cue · snap · cap · toast · season · lean

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. season — of the year
  3. cue — for pool
  4. snap — to click
  5. cap — a hat
  6. spell — a short time
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. spell — letters
  9. lean — to bend
  10. wound — an injury
  11. season — in sport
  12. cap — a lid
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. spell — magic
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cap — of ice
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. cue — a signal
  21. toast — bread
  22. lean — thin
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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