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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: fall · jam · mouse · roll · wind · spell · kid · nail

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. spell — letters
  9. fall — the season
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. spell — a short time
  14. kid — child
  15. kid — to tease
  16. wind — moving air
  17. roll — a cake
  18. roll — a list
  19. fall — to drop
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. spell — magic
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. mouse — the animal

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