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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
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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: kid · spell · dip · bound · mate · key · bear · shower

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. spell — magic
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. bear — the animal
  5. shower — rain
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — for a lock
  8. spell — letters
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bound — obliged
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bear — the animal
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. key — in music
  17. kid — child
  18. mate — a partner
  19. kid — to tease
  20. bound — certain
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. shower — to wash
  23. mate — to breed
  24. bound — tied together

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