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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 120 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 · rest · scale · mate · hand · fine · spell · wind

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. spell — a short time
  3. hand — help
  4. bear — the animal
  5. hand — in cards
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bear — the animal
  8. rest — a break
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. fine — all right
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — size or range
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wind — moving air
  18. spell — letters
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mate — to breed
  21. fine — high quality
  22. mate — a partner
  23. spell — magic
  24. wind — moving air

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