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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spell · season · fall · fine · bound · stick · squash · cell

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. spell — a short time
  6. season — in sport
  7. spell — magic
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. squash — the sport
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bound — certain
  13. season — of the year
  14. squash — to crush
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bound — obliged
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. cell — in biology
  19. fall — the season
  20. fine — high quality
  21. fall — to drop
  22. cell — a phone
  23. spell — letters
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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