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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. row — a line
  4. fork — in a road
  5. wind — moving air
  6. spell — a short time
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. rest — what's left
  11. shower — rain
  12. wind — moving air
  13. row — to paddle
  14. rest — a break
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. shower — to wash
  17. spell — letters
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. rush — hurry
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rest — what's left
  24. pound — a weight

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