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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · season · hand · wind · capital · roll · toast · plane

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. season — of the year
  3. wind — moving air
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. capital — money
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — in sport
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. hand — help
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. plane — a tool
  12. wind — moving air
  13. capital — a city
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. roll — a cake
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. toast — bread
  24. hand — in cards

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