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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.

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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 · kick · lean · wind · roll · cold · craft

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. cold — not warm
  3. wind — moving air
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. kick — in football
  6. roll — a cake
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. roll — a list
  13. lean — thin
  14. wind — moving air
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. spell — magic
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. sharp — clever
  20. craft — boats
  21. cold — an illness
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — letters
  24. craft — a skill

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