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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: spring · scale · spell · wound · bear · deal · fan · bat

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. wound — an injury
  4. scale — in music
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. deal — to handle
  7. bear — the animal
  8. spring — of water
  9. scale — size or range
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. bat — the animal
  12. spring — the season
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. spell — letters
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. bear — the animal
  18. spell — magic
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spell — a short time
  24. fan — a supporter

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