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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: fan · squash · bear · spell · pass · tear · wind · rash

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. tear — to rip
  4. pass — a permit
  5. squash — to crush
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. spell — a short time
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bear — the animal
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rash — a series
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bear — the animal
  18. rash — hasty
  19. spell — magic
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. squash — the sport
  24. pass — to succeed

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