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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. cap — of ice
  4. spell — letters
  5. saw — the tool
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. spell — a short time
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. cap — a lid
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. cap — a hat
  19. rush — hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. fall — the season
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. wave — of the sea

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