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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: spell · toast · wound · spring · pitcher · race · mug · sharp

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. wound — an injury
  3. race — humankind
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mug — a face
  6. sharp — clever
  7. mug — a cup
  8. spell — letters
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. spring — the season
  12. mug — to rob
  13. spring — a coil
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. spell — magic
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. spell — a short time
  18. race — the arms race
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. race — a contest
  23. toast — bread
  24. wound — an injury

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