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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. spell — magic
  3. drill — a practice
  4. spell — letters
  5. object — to protest
  6. band — a ring
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. band — a music group
  9. object — an aim
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. scale — in music
  12. object — a thing
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. spell — a short time
  16. rash — hasty
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. rash — a series
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. drill — army training
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. scale — size or range

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