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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 116 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 had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. shower — to wash
  3. face — to point toward
  4. branch — a division
  5. capital — a city
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. staff — employees
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. spell — letters
  14. capital — money
  15. spell — a short time
  16. staff — a stick
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. snap — to click
  19. face — part of the head
  20. shower — rain
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. staff — employees
  23. spell — magic
  24. face — to confront

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