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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 120 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: fall · tube · sharp · spell · hide · content · row · deal

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. row — a line
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. spell — a short time
  9. sharp — clever
  10. fall — to drop
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. content — the amount
  13. row — to paddle
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. deal — to handle
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. content — happy
  18. spell — magic
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. tube — a container
  21. fall — the season
  22. fall — to drop
  23. tube — the underground
  24. deal — an agreement

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