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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: temple · rash · wax · spell · kick · wind · fall · hand

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. kick — in football
  3. spell — letters
  4. fall — the season
  5. fall — to drop
  6. rash — hasty
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wax — to grow
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. wind — moving air
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. fall — to drop
  18. spell — magic
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — part of the body

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