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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: saw · rest · content · fork · fine · shower · straw · spell

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. saw — the tool
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — a short time
  6. rest — what's left
  7. spell — magic
  8. rest — a break
  9. content — the amount
  10. fine — high quality
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. content — happy
  13. shower — rain
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. shower — to wash
  16. saw — the tool
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fine — all right
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. fork — in a road
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. content — videos and posts

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