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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 · wake · net · last · row · shower · spell · season

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — in sport
  4. spell — magic
  5. row — to paddle
  6. track — a path
  7. season — in sport
  8. row — a line
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. season — of the year
  12. last — to go on
  13. shower — rain
  14. track — to keep track
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. net — after costs
  17. last — final
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. shower — to wash
  20. spell — a short time
  21. wake — a trail
  22. spell — letters
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. track — a song

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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