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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: field · drill · wind · can · file · spell · cell · bowl

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. can — a tin
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. file — a line of people
  6. can — to be able to
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — letters
  9. drill — army training
  10. field — farmland
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. drill — a practice
  13. field — for sport
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. cell — in biology
  16. file — a tool
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. file — a document
  20. can — a tin
  21. field — a subject
  22. wind — moving air
  23. spell — a short time
  24. cell — a phone

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