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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: wound · ball · chip · nail · present · bulb · spell · lie

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. spell — magic
  3. ball — a dance
  4. lie — to recline
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. spell — letters
  7. bulb — for light
  8. wound — an injury
  9. present — there
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. present — a gift
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. bulb — for light
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. chip — to eat
  19. present — the time now
  20. spell — a short time
  21. chip — for betting
  22. ball — a great time
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. nail — for a hammer

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