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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. spell — a short time
  3. wake — a trail
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. season — in sport
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. rash — hasty
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. fork — in a road
  17. spell — letters
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. rash — a series
  22. season — of the year
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. spell — magic

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