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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: saw · season · wind · spell · stick · row · fan · snap

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. saw — the tool
  3. row — a line
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. snap — to click
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. season — of the year
  10. spell — magic
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. wind — moving air
  14. row — to paddle
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — a short time
  20. saw — the tool
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. season — in sport
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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