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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: wind · calf · ball · hand · bay · cabinet · drill · spell

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. ball — a great time
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. hand — help
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. wind — moving air
  9. drill — a practice
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — army training
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. hand — in cards
  16. wind — moving air
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. spell — magic
  24. calf — a young animal

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