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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 · hand · plane · key · spell · fan · rest · rush

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. spell — letters
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. hand — help
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. hand — in cards
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. key — in music
  9. rest — a break
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. key — the most important part
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. spell — a short time
  15. wake — a trail
  16. key — for a lock
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. plane — a tool
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. rest — what's left
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. rush — hurry
  24. spell — magic

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