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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: sharp · trunk · cell · calf · rest · foot · spell · dip

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. spell — letters
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. spell — magic
  6. cell — a phone
  7. foot — a measure
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. dip — to sink
  10. spell — a short time
  11. rest — what's left
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. cell — in biology
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. rest — what's left
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. rest — a break

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