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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: game · spell · rash · mug · bulb · drill · row · rest

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. mug — a cup
  3. spell — letters
  4. mug — a face
  5. bulb — for light
  6. game — wild animals
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. drill — the tool
  10. bulb — for light
  11. spell — magic
  12. drill — a practice
  13. row — a line
  14. mug — to rob
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rash — a series
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. drill — army training
  20. rest — a break
  21. spell — a short time
  22. rest — what's left
  23. game — a match
  24. row — a quarrel

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