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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.

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: band · hide · ball · cabinet · kid · spell · root · lie

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. spell — letters
  6. ball — a great time
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. spell — a short time
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. band — a ring
  12. root — of a word
  13. spell — magic
  14. lie — to recline
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. band — a music group
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. ball — a dance
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. kid — to tease
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. root — the cause
  24. root — of a plant

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