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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: kid · present · spell · saw · pass · toast · wound · spring

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — of water
  6. spring — the season
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — magic
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. present — the time now
  12. pass — a permit
  13. kid — to tease
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. kid — child
  17. spell — a short time
  18. toast — bread
  19. present — a gift
  20. present — there
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. saw — the tool
  23. wound — an injury
  24. pass — to succeed

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