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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 120 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: last · fall · row · object · season · staff · spell · mouse

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. last — finally
  4. object — an aim
  5. fall — the season
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. object — a thing
  8. staff — a stick
  9. row — to paddle
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. staff — employees
  13. last — final
  14. fall — to drop
  15. staff — employees
  16. row — a line
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. fall — to drop
  19. spell — magic
  20. spell — letters
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. spell — a short time
  23. last — to go on
  24. object — to protest

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