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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: spell · net · wound · staff · stick · leaves · rock · row

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. staff — a stick
  4. spell — magic
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. row — to paddle
  7. spell — letters
  8. rock — a stone
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. rock — music
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. spell — a short time
  13. staff — employees
  14. net — for catching
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. net — in sport
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. row — a line
  20. net — after costs
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. staff — employees
  24. leaves — of a tree

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