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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: hide · spring · tube · nail · leaves · pitch · spell · tear

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spell — magic
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. tear — from crying
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. spring — of water
  7. tube — a container
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. pitch — completely
  15. tear — from crying
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. spell — a short time
  20. tube — the underground
  21. spring — the season
  22. spell — letters
  23. tear — to rip
  24. leaves — of a tree

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