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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: sharp · spell · bark · fall · club · season · wind · ball

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. club — for golf
  3. spell — letters
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. spell — a short time
  6. club — for dancing
  7. wind — moving air
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. fall — the season
  12. sharp — clever
  13. fall — to drop
  14. season — of the year
  15. ball — a great time
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. club — a group
  18. ball — a dance
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. fall — to drop
  22. spell — magic
  23. wind — moving air
  24. season — in sport

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