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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 120 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: mug · stick · bat · can · rest · leaves · bound · spell

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. spell — magic
  3. can — to be able to
  4. spell — letters
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. rest — a break
  10. bound — certain
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. rest — what's left
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. mug — a cup
  16. mug — to rob
  17. bound — tied together
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bat — the animal
  20. can — a tin
  21. spell — a short time
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. can — a tin

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