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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 116 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: wave · spell · leaves · staff · ground · nail · kid · bear

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. bear — the animal
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. ground — a position
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. spell — a short time
  11. staff — a stick
  12. ground — crushed
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. bear — the animal
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. kid — child
  17. staff — employees
  18. spell — letters
  19. staff — employees
  20. spell — magic
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. ground — the earth
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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