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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
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: spell · rock · staff · chair · wave · cold · pitch · bark

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. rock — music
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. staff — employees
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. pitch — completely
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cold — not warm
  14. spell — a short time
  15. rock — a stone
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. spell — letters
  18. chair — a leader
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. staff — employees
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. staff — a stick

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