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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: wave · land · spell · shower · mouse · rest · fine · snap

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. rest — what's left
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. fine — high quality
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. rest — a break
  8. shower — to wash
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. spell — letters
  11. fine — all right
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. land — to come down
  14. spell — a short time
  15. snap — to click
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. shower — rain
  18. land — ground
  19. rest — what's left
  20. land — a country
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. spell — magic
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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