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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · last · ball · wind · march · foot · band · wake

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. last — finally
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. foot — a measure
  6. march — the month
  7. spell — letters
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. wake — a trail
  10. band — a music group
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. band — a ring
  13. march — the month
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — magic
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a dance
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. last — final
  21. wind — moving air
  22. last — to go on
  23. march — music
  24. wind — moving air

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