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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: date · pitcher · spell · band · dip · root · wound · wake

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. spell — magic
  3. band — a ring
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. spell — a short time
  6. root — of a plant
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. dip — to sink
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. root — of a word
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. spell — letters
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. band — a music group
  18. wake — a trail
  19. root — the cause
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. date — the fruit
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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