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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 116 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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. mate — to breed
  4. suit — to fit
  5. tube — the underground
  6. wound — an injury
  7. tear — to rip
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. tube — a container
  10. land — to come down
  11. wound — an injury
  12. tear — from crying
  13. mate — a friend
  14. tear — from crying
  15. suit — in cards
  16. rush — hurry
  17. spell — letters
  18. land — ground
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. land — a country
  21. spell — a short time
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. mate — a partner
  24. suit — clothes

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