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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.

Make a worksheet

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: spell · wave · season · capital · dip · clip · fall · pass

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. fall — to drop
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. season — in sport
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — letters
  12. season — of the year
  13. pass — a permit
  14. clip — a video
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. capital — a city
  17. clip — for paper
  18. capital — money
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. clip — to cut
  21. fall — the season
  22. dip — to sink
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. spell — a short time

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