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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: sharp · mine · present · band · cell · spell · bear · mate

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. present — the time now
  5. cell — in biology
  6. spell — magic
  7. mate — a friend
  8. present — there
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. present — a gift
  12. mate — to breed
  13. bear — the animal
  14. band — a ring
  15. mine — for digging
  16. sharp — clever
  17. spell — a short time
  18. bear — the animal
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. cell — a phone
  22. band — a music group
  23. spell — letters
  24. mate — a partner

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