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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: track · cue · spell · drill · hand · suit · perch · prune

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. prune — to trim
  3. drill — the tool
  4. suit — clothes
  5. cue — a hint
  6. track — a song
  7. spell — magic
  8. hand — help
  9. cue — a signal
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. spell — a short time
  12. track — a path
  13. cue — for pool
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. suit — to fit
  18. perch — the fish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. drill — a practice
  21. suit — in cards
  22. drill — army training
  23. prune — to trim
  24. track — to keep track

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