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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.

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: suit · rush · saw · rash · scale · row · spell · fork

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. suit — in cards
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. scale — in music
  5. spell — a short time
  6. fork — in a road
  7. row — to paddle
  8. spell — magic
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rush — hurry
  13. suit — to fit
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. spell — letters
  19. row — a line
  20. rash — a series
  21. suit — clothes
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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