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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.

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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: wound · stem · spell · key · pop · hand · calf · lie

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. stem — to come from
  4. wound — an injury
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wound — an injury
  7. key — for a lock
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. pop — music
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. hand — help
  12. spell — letters
  13. pop — to visit
  14. key — the most important part
  15. pop — soda
  16. hand — in cards
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. key — in music
  21. lie — to recline
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — a short time
  24. hand — part of the body

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