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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: jam · ground · chest · band · lash · calf · face · spell

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — letters
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. ground — the earth
  6. band — a ring
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. band — a music group
  9. face — part of the head
  10. chest — a box
  11. ground — crushed
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. chest — of your body
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. chest — of your body
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. ground — a position
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — to confront
  23. spell — magic
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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