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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · hand · rock · spell · mark · rash

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. hand — help
  3. spell — letters
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. rash — a series
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mark — a grade
  9. spell — a short time
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rock — music
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. wind — moving air
  15. hand — in cards
  16. mark — a trace
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. rock — to move gently

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