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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. net — in sport
  6. spell — letters
  7. wake — a trail
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. lean — thin
  10. spell — magic
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. net — for catching
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. wind — moving air
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. lean — to bend
  18. net — after costs

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