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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: drill · spell · fall · bass · mug · season · fan · stick

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. spell — magic
  3. drill — army training
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. fall — the season
  6. bass — low music
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. spell — letters
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. mug — to rob
  12. spell — a short time
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — of the year
  15. mug — a face
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mug — a cup
  21. bass — the fish
  22. drill — the tool
  23. drill — a practice
  24. fan — a supporter

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