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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: rush · spell · wind · prune · band · dip · calf · saw

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. prune — to trim
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. spell — magic
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. spell — a short time
  10. rush — hurry
  11. band — a music group
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. band — a ring
  15. saw — the tool
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. spell — letters
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — moving air
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. prune — to trim
  24. dip — to sink

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