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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 120 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: spell · land · club · safe · hide · mine · branch · season

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. club — a group
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. season — in sport
  7. club — for golf
  8. season — of the year
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. land — a country
  11. club — for dancing
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. land — to come down
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — letters
  22. mine — for digging
  23. branch — a division
  24. land — ground

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