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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: stick · last · drill · hand · spell · rash · wound · rule

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. drill — a practice
  3. spell — magic
  4. spell — letters
  5. rash — hasty
  6. spell — a short time
  7. last — final
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. hand — help
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rule — a law
  12. wound — an injury
  13. last — finally
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. last — to go on
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. hand — in cards
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — army training
  23. rule — government
  24. hand — part of the body

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