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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: wake · ruler · spell · ball · bat · club · swing · tear

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. spell — a short time
  4. swing — to play on
  5. tear — from crying
  6. wake — a trail
  7. spell — magic
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. bat — the animal
  10. tear — to rip
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a great time
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. ball — a dance
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. swing — music
  17. club — a group
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. swing — in golf
  20. tear — from crying
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — for golf

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