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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: racket · clip · hand · spell · tear · march · rush · bowl

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. spell — letters
  3. spell — magic
  4. tear — from crying
  5. march — music
  6. tear — from crying
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. clip — for paper
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. hand — help
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. rush — hurry
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. clip — to cut
  19. tear — to rip
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. march — the month
  22. clip — a video
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. spell — a short time

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