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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: hand · deal · object · snap · spell · last · bear · cap

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bear — the animal
  3. spell — magic
  4. last — to go on
  5. cap — a lid
  6. deal — to handle
  7. object — an aim
  8. snap — to click
  9. cap — of ice
  10. spell — letters
  11. cap — a hat
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. hand — help
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. object — a thing
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. last — final
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. hand — in cards
  22. spell — a short time
  23. object — to protest
  24. bear — the animal

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