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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: tube · mine · face · row · spell · hand · roll · cabinet

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. row — a line
  4. face — part of the head
  5. hand — in cards
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. roll — a cake
  10. tube — the underground
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — a short time
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. face — to point toward
  15. roll — a list
  16. face — to confront
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. hand — help
  23. row — to paddle
  24. cabinet — ministers

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