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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: band · cold · spell · saw · wake · wound · pass · can

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. spell — magic
  3. spell — letters
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pass — a permit
  6. cold — not warm
  7. wound — an injury
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. band — a music group
  13. wake — a trail
  14. saw — the tool
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. can — a tin
  22. band — a ring
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. spell — a short time

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