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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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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: fork · kid · scale · fine · wound · spell · wave · racket

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — an injury
  9. spell — magic
  10. kid — child
  11. fork — in a road
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. spell — letters
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. scale — size or range
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fine — all right
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. scale — in music
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. fine — high quality
  24. wave — with your hand

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