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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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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: spell · bear · present · wind · trunk · mate · staff · snap

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. spell — magic
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. mate — to breed
  6. bear — the animal
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. spell — letters
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. staff — employees
  11. snap — to click
  12. staff — employees
  13. bear — the animal
  14. spell — a short time
  15. mate — a partner
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. present — the time now
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. present — there
  22. mate — a friend
  23. staff — a stick
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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