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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.

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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: march · rash · deal · spell · spring · bowl · arm · suit

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. spell — letters
  3. spring — the season
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. march — the month
  6. spring — a coil
  7. deal — to handle
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. suit — clothes
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. suit — to fit
  17. suit — in cards
  18. spell — magic
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. rash — a series
  21. spring — of water
  22. spell — a short time
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. bowl — a football final

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