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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: hide · hand · can · court · band · cell · season · spell

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. court — for sport
  5. spell — a short time
  6. can — a tin
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. court — of a king
  10. hand — help
  11. season — of the year
  12. court — of law
  13. band — a ring
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hand — in cards
  16. season — in sport
  17. cell — in biology
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. spell — letters
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. cell — a phone
  22. band — a music group
  23. can — to be able to
  24. can — a tin

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