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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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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: kid · lie · wind · pound · perch · plane · spell · season

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. plane — a tool
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — to tease
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. wind — moving air
  8. spell — a short time
  9. lie — to recline
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. pound — a weight
  12. spell — magic
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. season — of the year
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wind — moving air
  21. kid — child
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. spell — letters
  24. wind — to turn a key

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