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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. tear — to rip
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. spell — magic
  6. scale — in music
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bank — for money
  9. scale — size or range
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. rest — what's left
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. spell — letters
  14. bank — of a river
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. tear — from crying
  19. rest — what's left
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bank — for money
  23. rest — a break
  24. scale — for weighing

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