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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: object · can · bat · drill · rest · wound · spell · leaves

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. drill — a practice
  3. drill — army training
  4. bat — the animal
  5. object — to protest
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. rest — what's left
  9. can — a tin
  10. spell — a short time
  11. drill — the tool
  12. spell — magic
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. object — a thing
  15. wound — an injury
  16. can — to be able to
  17. rest — what's left
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. can — a tin
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. rest — a break
  23. object — an aim
  24. spell — letters

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