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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: sharp · hand · saw · key · mouse · wind · stem · spell

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. hand — help
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. key — in music
  6. wind — moving air
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. spell — magic
  9. key — the most important part
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. sharp — clever
  15. saw — the tool
  16. hand — in cards
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wind — moving air
  19. spell — letters
  20. stem — to come from
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. key — for a lock
  24. sharp — exactly

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