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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: rest · sharp · land · spell · hand · bulb · last · rush

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. bulb — for light
  3. spell — magic
  4. land — ground
  5. spell — a short time
  6. last — final
  7. sharp — clever
  8. rest — what's left
  9. land — a country
  10. rest — a break
  11. bulb — for light
  12. last — finally
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. spell — letters
  16. hand — help
  17. land — to come down
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rest — what's left
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. rush — hurry
  23. hand — in cards
  24. last — to go on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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