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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 116 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: season · spell · last · dip · spring · lie · current · stick

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. spring — the season
  3. last — final
  4. lie — to recline
  5. dip — to sink
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. spell — magic
  8. current — electric
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. current — of water
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. spring — of water
  15. last — finally
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. last — to go on
  20. spell — letters
  21. spring — a coil
  22. spell — a short time
  23. current — happening now
  24. season — in sport

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