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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spell · band · cold · lie · mug · present · drill · firm

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. spell — magic
  4. present — there
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. band — a ring
  7. cold — not warm
  8. drill — army training
  9. lie — to recline
  10. mug — a face
  11. firm — steady
  12. drill — a practice
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. firm — a company
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. spell — a short time
  17. firm — decided
  18. cold — an illness
  19. band — a music group
  20. present — a gift
  21. spell — letters
  22. drill — the tool
  23. present — the time now
  24. mug — to rob

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