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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. spell — magic
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. suit — in cards
  6. cell — in biology
  7. net — after costs
  8. hand — help
  9. suit — clothes
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. net — in sport
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. cell — a phone
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. wound — an injury
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — letters
  22. net — for catching
  23. branch — a division
  24. suit — to fit

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