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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: arm · roll · spell · trunk · board · calf · saw · capital

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. spell — letters
  3. spell — magic
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. saw — the tool
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. spell — a short time
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. board — a committee
  17. roll — a cake
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. capital — money
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. board — to get on
  23. roll — a list
  24. capital — a big letter

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