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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: rash · wave · fork · spell · clip · calf · bass · cell

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. cell — in biology
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. clip — to cut
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. rash — hasty
  7. spell — magic
  8. clip — a video
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — a series
  12. fork — in a road
  13. bass — the fish
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. cell — a phone
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. spell — letters
  22. clip — for paper
  23. bass — low music
  24. calf — a young animal

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