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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: fall · spell · nail · mouse · march · row · bulb · mug

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. spell — letters
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. fall — the season
  6. spell — a short time
  7. fall — to drop
  8. row — to paddle
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. mug — a face
  11. mug — to rob
  12. march — the month
  13. spell — magic
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bulb — for light
  16. march — the month
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bulb — for light
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. row — a line
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. march — music

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