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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.

Make a worksheet

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: shower · spell · wave · field · hide · rest · straw · bound

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. spell — letters
  3. field — for sport
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. rest — a break
  6. rest — what's left
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. shower — rain
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bound — tied together
  13. spell — magic
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. field — farmland
  16. bound — certain
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. shower — to wash
  22. rest — what's left
  23. spell — a short time
  24. field — a subject

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