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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: hide · spell · spring · shower · bulb · roll · wind · fine

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. roll — a cake
  3. fine — all right
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. wind — moving air
  6. roll — a list
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. spell — a short time
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — rain
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — the season
  21. spell — letters
  22. wind — moving air
  23. spell — magic
  24. fine — high quality

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