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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: straw · club · spell · tear · safe · season · fall · dip

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. fall — to drop
  4. spell — magic
  5. season — in sport
  6. spell — a short time
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. club — a group
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. fall — the season
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — to rip
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. dip — to sink
  17. spell — letters
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. club — for dancing
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. fall — to drop
  23. club — for golf
  24. season — of the year

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