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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 116 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: bore · bowl · cue · spell · cap · band · bat · lash

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. cue — for pool
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. cap — of ice
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. spell — magic
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. cap — a lid
  11. band — a music group
  12. bore — to tire
  13. band — a ring
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. cue — a signal
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. bat — the animal
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. cue — a hint
  24. cap — a hat

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