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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bank · spell · season · straw · pitcher · wake

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. spell — letters
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bank — of a river
  5. spell — magic
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bank — for money
  10. spell — a short time
  11. season — of the year
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bank — for money
  17. season — in sport
  18. straw — a straw man

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