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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
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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: foot · drill · shower · spell · wave · wind · spring · court

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. spring — a coil
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. foot — a measure
  8. shower — rain
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spring — the season
  11. court — of law
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. drill — army training
  14. court — for sport
  15. spell — magic
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. shower — to wash
  18. drill — a practice
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. drill — the tool
  21. wind — moving air
  22. spring — of water
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. court — of a king

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