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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: rock · sharp · bulb · last · lie · cell · spell · season

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. spell — magic
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. cell — in biology
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. spell — letters
  9. cell — a phone
  10. last — finally
  11. season — in sport
  12. spell — a short time
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. last — final
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. sharp — clever
  17. rock — a stone
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. season — of the year
  20. lie — to recline
  21. bulb — for light
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bulb — for light
  24. last — to go on

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