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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.

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: row · rash · spell · fall · kid · wake · bear · bass

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. rash — a series
  3. fall — to drop
  4. spell — a short time
  5. kid — child
  6. rash — hasty
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. spell — magic
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bear — the animal
  12. row — to paddle
  13. row — a line
  14. fall — the season
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. spell — letters
  17. wake — a trail
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bass — low music
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bass — the fish
  24. kid — to tease

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