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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: march · suit · spell · kid · lean · cold · fall · wave

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. cold — not warm
  4. fall — to drop
  5. suit — to fit
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. fall — to drop
  8. spell — a short time
  9. kid — to tease
  10. lean — to bend
  11. kid — child
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. fall — the season
  14. march — music
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. march — the month
  17. cold — an illness
  18. suit — in cards
  19. lean — thin
  20. march — the month
  21. suit — clothes
  22. spell — letters
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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