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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 120 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: spell · rest · arm · fall · swing · hide · mine · wake

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. fall — to drop
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. spell — a short time
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. swing — to play on
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. wake — a trail
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. swing — music
  11. spell — letters
  12. rest — what's left
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. spell — magic
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. rest — a break
  19. fall — the season
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. fall — to drop
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. mine — for digging
  24. swing — in golf

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