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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: object · spell · fan · saw · wave · kid · present · last

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. present — the time now
  3. spell — letters
  4. kid — to tease
  5. object — a thing
  6. present — a gift
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. spell — magic
  9. saw — the tool
  10. kid — child
  11. spell — a short time
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. last — to go on
  16. object — to protest
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. last — final
  22. present — there
  23. last — finally
  24. wave — of the sea

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