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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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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: track · rule · kid · spell · wave · snap · fine · wound

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. track — to keep track
  3. wound — an injury
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. kid — child
  8. track — a song
  9. spell — magic
  10. spell — letters
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. rule — a law
  13. wound — an injury
  14. snap — to click
  15. kid — to tease
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. track — a path
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. rule — government
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. fine — all right
  24. fine — high quality

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