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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. craft — a skill
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — hurry
  6. spell — a short time
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. fine — high quality
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. fine — all right
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. band — a ring
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. bulb — for light
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. mark — a trace
  18. bulb — for light
  19. mark — a grade
  20. chip — to eat
  21. spell — letters
  22. chip — for betting
  23. craft — boats
  24. band — a music group

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