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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: club · deal · roll · land · spring · rock · spell · fall

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. spell — a short time
  4. fall — to drop
  5. spell — letters
  6. land — a country
  7. roll — a cake
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. roll — a list
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. spell — magic
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — a group
  14. club — for dancing
  15. rock — a stone
  16. spring — the season
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — ground
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. rock — music
  21. fall — to drop
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — of water
  24. fall — the season

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