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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: bear · spell · bay · bowl · face · season · staff · band

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bear — the animal
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. staff — employees
  5. spell — letters
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bear — the animal
  8. spell — magic
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. season — of the year
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. face — to confront
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. band — a music group
  17. face — to point toward
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. season — in sport
  20. face — part of the head
  21. staff — a stick
  22. staff — employees
  23. band — a ring
  24. spell — a short time

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