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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mate · wake · wound · saw · spell · prune · bore · cell

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. saw — the tool
  5. spell — a short time
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. mate — to breed
  8. cell — in biology
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — a friend
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. spell — letters
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. saw — the tool
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bore — to tire
  17. cell — a phone
  18. wound — an injury
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bore — to drill
  24. prune — to trim

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