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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: deal · row · mug · cell · mine · spring · rash · season

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cell — in biology
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. season — in sport
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. mug — a face
  9. deal — to handle
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. row — to paddle
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. spring — of water
  14. mine — for digging
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. row — a line
  17. rash — hasty
  18. season — of the year
  19. rash — a series
  20. spring — the season
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. spring — a coil
  24. mug — to rob

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