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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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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: hand · kick · field · mouse · foot · spell · pop · wave

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. hand — help
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. foot — a measure
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. spell — magic
  7. kick — in football
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. field — for sport
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. spell — letters
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. spell — a short time
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. field — farmland
  20. field — a subject
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — to visit
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hand — part of the body

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