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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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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 · rush · object · net · spell · snap · jam · kid

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. rush — hurry
  3. object — to protest
  4. wind — moving air
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. snap — to click
  8. kid — child
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — in sport
  11. wind — moving air
  12. spell — magic
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. kid — to tease
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. object — an aim
  21. spell — letters
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. net — for catching
  24. object — a thing

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