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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: leaves · spring · spell · lie · land · ground · dip · squash

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. ground — the earth
  3. spring — the season
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ground — a position
  6. spell — letters
  7. squash — the sport
  8. spell — a short time
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. squash — to crush
  13. lie — to recline
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. land — to come down
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spell — magic
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. land — ground
  22. spring — of water
  23. land — a country
  24. dip — to sink

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