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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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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: stick · bank · wind · kid · perch · sharp · spell · court

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. bank — for money
  5. spell — magic
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. court — of law
  8. spell — a short time
  9. wind — moving air
  10. court — of a king
  11. kid — to tease
  12. spell — letters
  13. court — for sport
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bank — for money
  20. perch — the fish
  21. kid — child
  22. sharp — clever
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bank — of a river

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