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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: spell · wound · date · row · wake · toast · can · saw

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wound — an injury
  3. row — to paddle
  4. can — to be able to
  5. saw — the tool
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. spell — a short time
  11. date — the fruit
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. toast — bread
  14. spell — magic
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. spell — letters
  20. row — a line
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — a tin
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. wound — an injury

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