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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: bass · kick · fan · saw · drill · spell · squash · wake

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. saw — the tool
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. bass — the fish
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. kick — in football
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. wake — a trail
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. spell — magic
  17. bass — low music
  18. saw — the tool
  19. squash — to crush
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. drill — army training
  22. squash — the sport
  23. spell — letters
  24. drill — a practice

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