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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. present — a gift
  4. bound — certain
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. saw — the tool
  7. face — to point toward
  8. spell — magic
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. band — a ring
  11. face — part of the head
  12. rash — hasty
  13. band — a music group
  14. rash — a series
  15. spell — letters
  16. saw — the tool
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. face — to confront
  19. bound — obliged
  20. present — there
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bound — tied together
  23. present — the time now
  24. nail — on a finger

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