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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.

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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: kid · spell · ground · dip · sharp · leaves · stock · lie

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. ground — the earth
  3. spell — magic
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. spell — letters
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. sharp — clever
  10. stock — goods
  11. spell — a short time
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. ground — a position
  14. lie — to recline
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. kid — child
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. stock — shares
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. ground — crushed
  24. dip — to sink

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