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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.

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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: band · spell · drill · fine · rest · wind · wake · mug

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. mug — to rob
  3. fine — high quality
  4. spell — magic
  5. rest — what's left
  6. mug — a face
  7. drill — a practice
  8. band — a music group
  9. spell — letters
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. fine — all right
  12. drill — the tool
  13. band — a ring
  14. rest — what's left
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wake — a trail
  17. mug — a cup
  18. rest — a break
  19. wind — moving air
  20. drill — army training
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. spell — a short time
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. fine — a penalty

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