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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: roll · coach · key · spell · fall · wound · drill · bulb

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. roll — a cake
  4. fall — to drop
  5. drill — army training
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. fall — the season
  10. spell — letters
  11. key — for a lock
  12. bulb — for light
  13. key — in music
  14. bulb — for light
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. fall — to drop
  18. spell — magic
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. roll — a list
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — a practice
  23. wound — an injury
  24. key — the most important part

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