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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: spell · can · bear · game · pitcher · wind · plane · wake

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. spell — letters
  3. can — a tin
  4. spell — magic
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. wind — moving air
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. can — a tin
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — wild animals
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wind — moving air
  14. game — a match
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. bear — the animal
  17. plane — a tool
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bear — the animal
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. can — to be able to
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wake — before a funeral

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