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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 116 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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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: band · court · spell · deal · cell · snap · bulb · bowl

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. snap — to click
  3. cell — a phone
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. band — a ring
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. court — of a king
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. court — of law
  12. cell — in biology
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. spell — magic
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. court — for sport
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bulb — for light
  22. spell — a short time
  23. band — a music group
  24. spell — letters

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