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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. rush — hurry
  3. track — a song
  4. bark — to shout
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. track — a path
  11. snap — to click
  12. plane — a tool
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. deal — to handle
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — letters
  19. hand — help
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. track — to keep track
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. hand — in cards

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