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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: wave · rush · net · spell · saw · bear · kid · cold

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. net — after costs
  3. cold — an illness
  4. spell — letters
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. saw — the tool
  7. net — for catching
  8. kid — to tease
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. spell — magic
  12. net — in sport
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. bear — the animal
  17. cold — not warm
  18. kid — child
  19. spell — a short time
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bear — the animal
  22. saw — the tool
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rush — hurry

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