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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: cell · spell · ground · bore · bowl · deal · bay · bulb

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. deal — to handle
  6. cell — in biology
  7. ground — a position
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. spell — letters
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. bulb — for light
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bulb — for light
  21. spell — magic
  22. ground — crushed
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. spell — a short time

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