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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: spell · wind · season · fan · mark · ground · key · wave

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. mark — a grade
  4. key — for a lock
  5. spell — magic
  6. ground — a position
  7. mark — a trace
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. spell — a short time
  10. wind — moving air
  11. ground — crushed
  12. wind — moving air
  13. spell — letters
  14. ground — the earth
  15. season — of the year
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. key — the most important part
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. key — in music
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. fan — to cool the air

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