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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: present · fine · spell · cap · deal · land · wake · scale

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. land — a country
  3. scale — size or range
  4. present — a gift
  5. fine — all right
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. cap — a hat
  9. land — ground
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. cap — a lid
  13. spell — a short time
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. deal — to handle
  16. scale — in music
  17. present — the time now
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. present — there
  20. spell — magic
  21. cap — of ice
  22. fine — high quality
  23. wake — a trail
  24. land — to come down

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