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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 120 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. hand — in cards
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. hand — help
  8. spell — a short time
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. rush — hurry
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bulb — for light
  13. cue — a hint
  14. spell — letters
  15. cue — for pool
  16. bulb — for light
  17. deal — to handle
  18. wind — moving air
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. spell — magic
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. cue — a signal
  24. branch — a division

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