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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 116 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 · bank · rest · coach · pound · mark · last · ground

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. mark — a trace
  3. ground — the earth
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. spell — a short time
  6. bank — for money
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — a break
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. rest — what's left
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. ground — crushed
  15. bank — of a river
  16. last — to go on
  17. pound — a weight
  18. last — finally
  19. ground — a position
  20. last — final
  21. bank — for money
  22. spell — letters
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. mark — a grade

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