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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: bear · shower · spell · stick · kick · nail · scale · rest

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. rest — a break
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bear — the animal
  7. rest — what's left
  8. shower — to wash
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bear — the animal
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. kick — in football
  16. scale — in music
  17. spell — a short time
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. spell — letters
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. scale — size or range
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. shower — rain

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