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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: mouse · lie · craft · swing · wound · band · pit · spell

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. lie — to recline
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. swing — music
  7. pit — in a race
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a music group
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. band — a ring
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. craft — a skill
  17. swing — to play on
  18. swing — in golf
  19. wound — an injury
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. wound — an injury
  22. craft — boats
  23. spell — a short time
  24. spell — magic

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