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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: shower · can · band · pit · hand · sharp · rock · spell

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. can — to be able to
  3. sharp — clever
  4. rock — a stone
  5. hand — help
  6. shower — rain
  7. spell — a short time
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. hand — in cards
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. spell — magic
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — to wash
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. band — a music group
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. rock — music
  22. pit — in a race
  23. spell — letters
  24. band — a ring

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