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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: bowl · spell · sharp · present · stand · pit · band · wound

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. spell — magic
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. band — a ring
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. spell — a short time
  11. present — a gift
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. band — a music group
  14. spell — letters
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. present — there
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. pit — a hole
  21. present — the time now
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. pit — in a race

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