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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: last · hand · arm · calf · track · present · wound · wind

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. last — to go on
  3. present — a gift
  4. hand — in cards
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. last — finally
  7. last — final
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wind — moving air
  10. track — to keep track
  11. present — the time now
  12. wind — moving air
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. track — a path
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. present — there
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. wound — an injury
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. hand — help
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. wind — to turn a key

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