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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: tear · firm · hand · spell · ball · season · chip · trunk

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. tear — from crying
  3. firm — decided
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. chip — for betting
  6. spell — a short time
  7. season — in sport
  8. hand — help
  9. firm — steady
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. firm — a company
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a great time
  15. hand — in cards
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — to rip
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. season — of the year
  21. spell — letters
  22. chip — to eat
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. season — to add flavour

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