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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: leaves · wind · saw · cell · dip · swing · deal · spell

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. cell — in biology
  3. spell — letters
  4. cell — a phone
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. spell — a short time
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. spell — magic
  10. deal — to handle
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. swing — music
  13. wind — moving air
  14. saw — the tool
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. saw — the tool
  18. swing — in golf
  19. swing — to play on
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. dip — to sink
  24. wind — moving 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