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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: cold · lie · spell · cap · root · fan · craft · pit

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — to recline
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. root — the cause
  7. pit — a hole
  8. cold — an illness
  9. craft — a skill
  10. pit — in a race
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. root — of a plant
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. root — of a word
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. cap — a lid
  18. spell — letters
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. cold — not warm
  21. spell — a short time
  22. cap — a hat
  23. craft — boats
  24. cap — of ice

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