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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: rush · can · wake · row · bowl · season · spell · pitcher

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — a trail
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. season — of the year
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. can — to be able to
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — in sport
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. rush — hurry
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. can — a tin
  17. spell — magic
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. can — a tin
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. spell — a short time
  24. row — a line

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