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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
468
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: mouse · pitcher · spell · wave · leaves · last · fork · wind

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. last — finally
  11. fork — in a road
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. last — final
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — magic
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. wind — moving air
  22. spell — letters
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. last — to go on

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