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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: net · spell · stick · toast · pitcher · wound · wake · rash

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. toast — bread
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. wound — an injury
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. spell — a short time
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. spell — magic
  10. net — for catching
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. net — in sport
  14. spell — letters
  15. rash — hasty
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. rash — a series
  18. net — after costs
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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