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

Word bank: spell · last · sharp · bank · ground · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. spell — a short time
  3. ground — crushed
  4. bank — for money
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. bank — for money
  9. spell — letters
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. ground — the earth
  13. last — final
  14. last — finally
  15. bank — of a river
  16. last — to go on
  17. ground — a position
  18. spell — magic

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