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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 120 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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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: saw · board · rash · spell · last · wound · track · plane

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. spell — letters
  3. rash — a series
  4. board — a committee
  5. last — to go on
  6. rash — hasty
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. spell — magic
  9. board — to get on
  10. last — final
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. track — a path
  13. saw — the tool
  14. track — to keep track
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. track — a song
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. spell — a short time
  19. plane — a tool
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — an injury
  22. saw — the tool
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. last — finally

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