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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cap · mine · rush · hand · spell · pop · bear · mouse

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. pop — soda
  3. cap — of ice
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. spell — a short time
  6. bear — the animal
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. hand — in cards
  9. cap — a hat
  10. mine — for digging
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. rush — hurry
  17. hand — help
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. pop — music
  20. spell — magic
  21. cap — a lid
  22. pop — to visit
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. bear — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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