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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · cold · cabinet · bore · pitcher · ruler · wake · row

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. cold — an illness
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. bore — to drill
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. spell — a short time
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. wake — a trail
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. row — to paddle
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. row — a line
  19. spell — magic
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bore — to tire
  22. cold — not warm
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. spell — letters

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