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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 · wind · tear · clip · rush · row · rash · court

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. row — to paddle
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. row — a line
  6. spell — letters
  7. clip — for paper
  8. rash — a series
  9. court — for sport
  10. wind — moving air
  11. rash — hasty
  12. tear — from crying
  13. court — of a king
  14. spell — a short time
  15. rush — hurry
  16. spell — magic
  17. court — of law
  18. clip — a video
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. tear — to rip
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. tear — from crying

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