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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.

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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 · nail · fall · stock · swing · cue · land · rush

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. spell — a short time
  3. cue — a hint
  4. fall — to drop
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. spell — letters
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. rush — hurry
  10. stock — goods
  11. cue — a signal
  12. land — a country
  13. cue — for pool
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. fall — the season
  17. land — ground
  18. swing — in golf
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. fall — to drop
  21. spell — magic
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. swing — to play on
  24. swing — music

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