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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.

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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: club · wake · content · rash · date · calf · spell · face

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. face — to point toward
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. content — happy
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. face — to confront
  7. wake — a trail
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — a series
  10. content — the amount
  11. club — a group
  12. club — for dancing
  13. rash — hasty
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. face — part of the head
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — magic
  24. club — for golf

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