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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: pound · wind · spell · wake · board · pitcher

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — moving air
  4. board — a committee
  5. spell — magic
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. spell — a short time
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. board — to get on
  11. pound — a weight
  12. wake — a trail
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. spell — letters
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. wind — to turn a key

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