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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: bulb · ground · spring · rash · dip · spell · lie · fall

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. spell — a short time
  3. ground — a position
  4. dip — to sink
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. spring — the season
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. fall — the season
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spell — letters
  11. fall — to drop
  12. spell — magic
  13. spring — of water
  14. rash — hasty
  15. fall — to drop
  16. ground — the earth
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — to recline
  23. rash — a series
  24. dip — a sauce

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