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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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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: wind · fork · swing · rash · toast · spell · calf · lash

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. rash — a series
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. spell — letters
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. rash — hasty
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. toast — bread
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. wind — moving air
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. swing — in golf
  18. swing — music
  19. fork — in a road
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. spell — magic
  22. wind — moving air
  23. swing — to play on
  24. spell — a short time

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