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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: rush · spell · rash · saw · leaves · hand · mug · season

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. hand — in cards
  4. saw — the tool
  5. spell — a short time
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. mug — to rob
  8. rash — a series
  9. hand — help
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rush — hurry
  13. mug — a cup
  14. season — of the year
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. mug — a face
  17. spell — magic
  18. season — in sport
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. spell — letters
  24. rash — hasty

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