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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: spring · toast · spell · firm · march · cell · hide · rock

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. firm — a company
  3. spring — a coil
  4. march — music
  5. spell — magic
  6. rock — music
  7. cell — a phone
  8. spell — letters
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. spring — the season
  11. firm — decided
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. march — the month
  14. rock — a stone
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. spell — a short time
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. spring — of water
  20. march — the month
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. cell — in biology
  23. toast — bread
  24. toast — the most admired

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