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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: chair · cabinet · bark · bear · spell · leaves · fan · bat

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. spell — a short time
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. chair — a leader
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. spell — magic
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. bat — for baseball

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