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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.

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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 · club · shower · suit · perch · fine · spell · snap

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. fine — high quality
  3. suit — to fit
  4. spell — magic
  5. club — a group
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. spell — letters
  8. suit — clothes
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. fine — all right
  12. perch — the fish
  13. snap — to click
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — for dancing
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. shower — rain
  18. spell — a short time
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. shower — to wash
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. suit — in cards

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