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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.

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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: rock · spell · rash · clip · racket · suit · fan · straw

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. clip — to cut
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. rash — a series
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. spell — a short time
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. rock — music
  11. clip — for paper
  12. suit — to fit
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. spell — letters
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. clip — a video
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. spell — magic
  19. suit — in cards
  20. rock — a stone
  21. suit — clothes
  22. rash — hasty
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. rock — to move gently

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