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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: dip · bulb · spell · cell · chair · squash · craft · fork

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. squash — to crush
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. squash — the sport
  5. dip — to sink
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. cell — in biology
  8. chair — a leader
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. spell — letters
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — for light
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. cell — a phone
  17. craft — a skill
  18. fork — in a road
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. craft — boats
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. spell — magic
  24. dip — to dunk

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