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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: ball · bank · last · rash · fall · spell · pitcher · object

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. last — final
  3. fall — the season
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. object — to protest
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. spell — a short time
  8. bank — for money
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. ball — a dance
  14. last — to go on
  15. object — an aim
  16. spell — magic
  17. ball — a great time
  18. bank — of a river
  19. bank — for money
  20. rash — hasty
  21. last — finally
  22. spell — letters
  23. object — a thing
  24. pitcher — a jug

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