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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 116 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: bore · band · wake · pitcher · board · cue · snap · spell

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. spell — letters
  6. band — a music group
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. cue — for pool
  9. board — to get on
  10. band — a ring
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. bore — to tire
  13. spell — a short time
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. cue — a signal
  17. bore — to drill
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. snap — to click
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. spell — magic
  22. board — a committee
  23. wake — a trail
  24. cue — a hint

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