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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: lean · cabinet · squash · drill · staff · fall · spell · band

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. band — a music group
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. squash — to crush
  5. spell — a short time
  6. drill — a practice
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. spell — letters
  9. band — a ring
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. staff — employees
  12. fall — to drop
  13. staff — a stick
  14. fall — the season
  15. squash — the sport
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. lean — to bend
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. staff — employees
  20. drill — the tool
  21. fall — to drop
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. drill — army training
  24. lean — thin

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