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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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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. net — for catching
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. wind — moving air
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. mark — a trace
  9. net — after costs
  10. wound — an injury
  11. spell — a short time
  12. spell — letters
  13. wound — an injury
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. mark — a grade
  20. fork — in a road
  21. net — in sport
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. wind — moving air

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