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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.

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 · hide · roll · kid · leaves · bore · snap · lie

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. roll — a cake
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. bore — to tire
  6. kid — to tease
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. snap — to click
  9. lie — to recline
  10. roll — a list
  11. spell — letters
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — child
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. bore — to drill
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. spell — a short time
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — animal skin

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