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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: saw · band · leaves · spell · tear · bound · roll · stick

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  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. spell — letters
  2. saw — the tool
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. roll — a cake
  5. tear — from crying
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. bound — certain
  8. bound — tied together
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. roll — a list
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. tear — from crying
  14. band — a ring
  15. saw — the tool
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. tear — to rip
  18. band — a music group
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. spell — magic
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. bound — obliged
  23. leaves — to go away
  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