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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: drill · ball · stand · band · last · snap · season · wake

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. last — to go on
  4. band — a music group
  5. stand — to bear
  6. drill — a practice
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. drill — the tool
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. drill — army training
  13. season — of the year
  14. last — finally
  15. ball — a dance
  16. snap — to click
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. season — in sport
  19. band — a ring
  20. wake — a trail
  21. last — final
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. ball — a great time

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