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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: plane · season · spell · bowl · stock · deal · mine · net

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. season — of the year
  3. spell — magic
  4. net — for catching
  5. plane — a tool
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. season — in sport
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. stock — goods
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. deal — to handle
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. spell — a short time
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. net — in sport
  22. mine — for digging
  23. net — after costs
  24. stock — shares

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