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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: net · season · wind · can · drill · lie · spell · tear

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. net — after costs
  3. lie — to recline
  4. wind — moving air
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. can — a tin
  7. net — in sport
  8. wind — moving air
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. spell — letters
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. can — a tin
  13. season — in sport
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. can — to be able to
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — army training
  19. net — for catching
  20. drill — a practice
  21. spell — a short time
  22. season — of the year
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. tear — to rip

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