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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: wake · wind · spell · rush · ruler · lean · court · rash

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. lean — thin
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. rush — hurry
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. court — for sport
  7. spell — letters
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — hasty
  11. lean — to bend
  12. wind — moving air
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rash — a series
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. court — of a king
  18. spell — a short time
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wake — a trail
  22. court — of law
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rush — to hurry

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