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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: rest · object · wound · spell · game · bear · ground · toast

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rest — a break
  4. object — to protest
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — a short time
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. bear — the animal
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — wild animals
  11. ground — the earth
  12. game — a match
  13. wound — an injury
  14. object — an aim
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ground — a position
  17. rest — what's left
  18. spell — magic
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bear — the animal
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. toast — bread
  24. bear — to put up with

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