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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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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: game · present · spell · lean · arm · spring · staff · net

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. lean — to bend
  3. present — there
  4. spell — a short time
  5. present — the time now
  6. present — a gift
  7. spell — letters
  8. spring — of water
  9. game — a match
  10. net — for catching
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. staff — a stick
  13. net — after costs
  14. lean — thin
  15. staff — employees
  16. spring — a coil
  17. net — in sport
  18. game — wild animals
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. spring — the season
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. staff — employees
  24. spell — magic

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