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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.

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: land · craft · cue · rest · fall · pop · wave · spell

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. spell — letters
  3. craft — boats
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. craft — a skill
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. land — ground
  8. rest — what's left
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cue — a hint
  11. pop — to visit
  12. land — a country
  13. fall — the season
  14. fall — to drop
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. rest — what's left
  17. spell — magic
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. cue — a signal
  20. fall — to drop
  21. land — to come down
  22. rest — a break
  23. pop — music
  24. spell — a short time

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