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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: bulb · spell · pit · snap · wake · press · drill · hand

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. press — to push
  3. spell — a short time
  4. wake — a trail
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. drill — a practice
  8. spell — magic
  9. drill — the tool
  10. hand — help
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. bulb — for light
  14. pit — in a race
  15. drill — army training
  16. pit — a hole
  17. press — newspapers
  18. press — a publisher
  19. snap — to click
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — in cards
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. bulb — for light

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