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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: stick · wake · spell · nail · rash · perch · wound · bat

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. wake — a trail
  3. rash — hasty
  4. perch — the fish
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rash — a series
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. spell — magic
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — a short time

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