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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: spell · sharp · branch · wound · rash · pass · kick · wave

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. pass — a permit
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. spell — magic
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. spell — letters
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. spell — a short time
  13. kick — in football
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — hasty
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. rash — a series
  22. branch — a division
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. branch — of a tree

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