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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. spell — magic
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. staff — employees
  5. spell — letters
  6. wind — moving air
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — the season
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. spring — a coil
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. wind — moving air
  16. lean — thin
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. spell — a short time
  20. staff — a stick
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. lean — to bend
  24. calf — a young animal

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