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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wind — moving air
  3. spell — magic
  4. scale — size or range
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. bank — for money
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — in sport
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. wind — moving air
  14. board — a committee
  15. saw — the tool
  16. board — to get on
  17. spell — a short time
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. spell — letters
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. season — of the year
  22. scale — in music
  23. bank — of a river
  24. bank — for money

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